uru  §  MI  i^y 


I  1 


I  3 


5   8 

1 1 


s  t 

*~>   ^± 
£   ^ 


ST 


£ 

"%3A!Nrf 


I  an 

^uiviian- 

•UBRARY0/,          .QUIVER 


£     - 


J$l  UNIVERS/. 


I  * 


PC 

<f?13DKV-SO 
.5JIHWIVER 


J313DNV-SO 


^VLIBKAKl 
§ 


ft          I 


.5tfHWVH 


^unuv^il 


George  Gary  Eggleston, 
Author  of  "Two  Gen- 
tlemen of  Virginia." 
Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard 
Co. 


"  We  are  two  gentlemen  of  Virginia 
-we  need  no  writing." 


YOU  AND  I 


5  FRIENDS.       WE   ABE   TWO   GENTLEMEN   OF 

VIRGINIA."  —  Page  434. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN 
OF  VIRGINIA 

A  NOVEL  OF  THE  OLD  REGIME 
IN  THE  OLD  DOMINION 


BY 

GEORGE    GARY   EGGLESTON 

AUTHOR     OF     "DOROTHY     SOUTH,"       "A    CAROLINA    CAVALIER," 

"THE  MASTER    OF    WARLOCK,"      "EVELYN    BYRD,"     "A 

DAUGHTER  OF  THE  SOUTH,"    "BLIND  ALLEYS," 

"  LOVE     IS     THE    SUM     OF     IT    ALL" 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  FRANK  T.  MERRILL 


BOSTON 

LOTHROP,    LEE   &  SHEPARD  CO, 


Published,  August,  1908 


COPYRIGHT,  1908,  BY  LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPHARD  Co. 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Two  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 


Norwood  Press 

BERWICK  &  SMITH  Co. 

Norwood.  Mass. 

U.  S.  A. 


T5 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

Cbastafn  Cocfte 

OF    VIRGINIA 

WHOSE  NOBILITY  OF  CHARACTER,  GENEROSITY  OF  MIND,  AND  UP- 
RIGHTNESS OF  LIFE  WERE  AN    INSPIRATION  TO  ME    IN   YOUTH, 
AND  WHOSE  PERSONALITY  IS    IMPERFECTLY  SUGGESTED  IN 
THAT    OF    COLONEL     BUTLER     SHENSTONE.     I     INSCRIBE 
THIS    STORY    OF    THE    OLD    REGIME    IN    THE    OLD 
DOMINION,  WITH   LOVE   AND  GRATITUDE. 


PREFACE 

In  this  novel  I  have  endeavored  to  fulfil  one 

of  the  chief  functions  of  history  in  the  modern 

£2   conception  of  historical  writing. 

'*        Incidentally  to  the  telling  of  a  love  story,  I 

«5    have  sought  to  present  a  faithful  picture  of 

the  life  of  the  time  and  region  of  which  I  have 

written;  to  set  forth  its  manners,  habits  and 

conditions  with  accuracy  and  in  detail ;  to  por- 

"w    tray  the  character  of  the  people,  to  show  what 

j    were  their  ideals  and  their  standards,  and  to 

present  them  as  they  were  to  readers  of  a  later 

and  far  less  picturesque  time. 

3        In  aid  of  this  purpose  I  have  mentioned 

g    many  details  of  custom  and  condition  which 

8    may  seem  trivial  in  themselves,  but  which  are 

imperatively  necessary  to  the  verisimilitude  of 

lj     the  picture. 

It  is  proper  to  add  that  I  have  written  solely 
of  things  that  I  personally  remember.  As  a 
youth  I  was  brought  into  that  life  from  with- 


PREFACE 

out.  I  studied  it  in  perspective,  as  one  bred  in 
it  could  not  have  done.  I  lived  it  and  loved  it, 
and  now,  half  a  century  later,  I  write  of  it  with 
admiration,  if  not  always  with  approval. 

GEORGE  GARY  EGGLESTON. 
New  York  City,  1908. 


Illustrations 


"  YOU    AND    I    ARE    FRIENDS.      WE    ARE    TWO    GENTLE- 
MEN OF  VIRGINIA."     (Page  433)    .     .    Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 
SHE  SUDDENLY  TURNED   HER   MARE   ABOUT  AND   FACED 

HER    ESCORT 60 

"  HERE  is  OUR  PATENT  OF  VIRGINIA  NOBILITY  "    .     .  102 
"TELL  ME!  is  UNCLE  BUTLER  VERY  ILL?"     .     .     .150 

"  YOUR    VEHICLE    STANDS    READY    FOR    YOU.      Go !    GO ! 

GO!"    .       .      ,      ..      .      .      .      ...      .      .       .       .222 

"  OH,  UNCLE  BUTLER  !  WHAT  is  THE  MATTER  ? "  .     .  420 


Two  Gentlemen  of  Virginia 

'' '  •  •    '    i  Wl . 

ABOUT  eight  o'clock  on  an  evening  in 
June  of  the  year  1857,  a  very  notice- 
able young  man  entered  the  Exchange 
Hotel  and  Ballard  House, —  the  twin  hotels 
that  had  recently  been  connected  by  a  crystal 
bridge  spanning  Franklin  street,  just  east  of 
the  Capitol  Square,  in  Richmond,  Virginia. 

He  had  come  from  the  railroad  train  in  a 
cab,  and  his  trunks  and  handbags,  several  in 
number,  were  following  him  into  the  great 
office  room  of  the  hotel,  on  the  willing  backs 
of  negro  porters  who  interpreted  their  number 
and  "  style  "  as  a  promise  of  generous  tips  to 
come. 

The  young  man  bowed  politely  to  the  clerk, 
said  "  Good  evening,"  in  a  low,  attractive  but 
very  resonant  voice  —  the  voice  of  a  man  ac- 
i 


2     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

customed  to  make  himself  heard  without  effort 
—  and  registered  his  name  as 

"  PHILIP  SHENSTONE," 
and  his  residence  as 

"  THE  WEST." 

Before  writing  he  carelessly  tossed  to  one  of 
the  negro  servitors  the  overcoat  he  had  carried 
on  his  arm.  The  negro  interpreted  the  act  as 
a  promise.  The  carrying  of  any  overcoat  at 
all  by  a  traveler  in  Virginia  in  June  was  a 
thing  of  so  rare  occurrence  in  those  days  that 
it  would  of  itself  have  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  all-observant  hotel  clerk.  But  the  quality 
and  fashioning  of  this  particular  overcoat  were 
still  more  impressive  upon  the  clerk's  mind. 
From  the  overcoat  his  quickly  scrutinizing 
glance  passed  to  the  young  man's  other  gar- 
ments. In  an  instant  he  had  decided  that  this 
was  altogether  the  best  dressed  gentleman  who 
had  ever  registered  at  that  hotel  during  his 
period  of  service  there.  The  young  man's  cos- 
tume was  wholly  unobtrusive,  but  the  clerk 
observed  that  his  garments  were  made  of  the 
very  finest  fabrics  he  had  ever  seen,  that  they 
were  exquisitely  finished  in  every  detail  and 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA       3 

that  there  was  absolute  perfection  in  the  way 
they  fitted  their  wearer  —  unconscious,  as  he 
seemed  to  be  even  of  their  existence. 

The  clerk's  first  conclusion  was  that  here 
was  a  man  accustomed  to  wearing  good  clothes 
and  never  thinking  about  them. 

The  effect  was  helped,  perhaps,  by  the  un- 
usual symmetry  of  the  young  man's  person. 
He  was  a  trifle  under  six  feet  in  height, 
strong-limbed,  broad-chested,  straight-backed 
and  of  easily  upright  carriage. 

All  these  details  the  clerk  took  in  at  a  glance, 
while  Shenstone  was  writing  in  the  register. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  want  a  room  all  to 
yourself,"  he  said,  admiringly,  as  he  turned  the 
registry  book  around  and  read  the  name  re- 
corded. 

It  was  customary  at  that  time,  even  in  very 
good  hotels,  to  have  two  or  three  beds  in  each 
room,  and  to  assign  two  or  three  gentlemen  to 
occupy  them,  except  in  those  special  cases  in 
which  a  guest  with  a  fastidious  preference  for 
privacy  and  with  money  to  waste,  insisted 
upon  paying  double  and  having  an  entire  room 
to  himself.  Shenstone  knew  the  custom  and 


4     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

was  not  surprised  by  the  clerk's  question.  For 
answer  he  said: 

"  I  should  like  two  large  rooms,  adjoining 
and  opening  into  each  other.  Please  have  one 
bed  placed  in  one  of  them,  and  fit  the  other  up 
as  a  sitting  room," 

Observing  the  clerk's  perplexity  of  look,  and 
conjecturing  correctly  that  the  hotel  had  no 
suites  of  the  kind  he  wanted,  he  continued : 

"  Perhaps  you  have  two  parlors  on  your 
first  floor  that  you  could  fit  up  in  that  way  for 
my  use." 

The  clerk's  first  impulse  was  to  suggest  that 
such  an  arrangement  would  be  rather  costly, 
but  lightning-like  reflection  convinced  him  that 
with  this  guest  it  would  be  safer  not  to  volun- 
teer suggestions  of  economy  or  of  anything 
else.  Philip  Shenstone  impressed  him  as  a 
gentleman  who  knew  his  own  mind  and  was 
accustomed  to  manage  his  own  affairs. 

He  gave  hurried  orders,  therefore,  for  the 
sequestration  of  two  of  the  public  parlors  and 
the  conversion  of  one  of  them  into  a  bedroom 
and  the  other  into  a  sitting  room  for  Mr.  Philip 
Shenstone's  use. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    5 

When  these  orders  were  issued,  the  clerk 
turned  again  to  Shenstone,  with  a  note  of  in- 
terrogation in  his  face,  as  if  he  meant  to  ask 
what  more  the  gentleman  might  want.  Philip 
answered  the  look: 

"  Sometime  to-night  —  whenever  a  belated 
train  comes  in  from  the  South,  a  young  lady 
and  her  attendant  —  a  white  woman  —  will 
arrive  at  the  hotel.  I  may  be  engaged  at  the 
time,  as  some  gentlemen  are  to  call  upon  me, 
but  when  these  two  come  —  the  girl's  name  is 
Valorie  Page  and  her  companion  is  Made- 
moiselle Nathalie  —  I  desire  to  be  informed  of 
the  fact,  no  matter  who  may  be  with  me.  In 
the  meanwhile  I  want  you  to  reserve  for  them 
two  of  the  very  pleasantest  rooms  you  have  in 
the  house.  They  will  probably  remain  for  a 
day  or  two,  and  I  wish  them  to  be  made  as 
comfortable  as  possible." 

Declining  the  suggestion  of  supper,  Shen- 
stone asked  to  be  shown  to  his  rooms,  if  they 
were  ready,  and  to  have  all  his  baggage  sent  to 
them.  A  negro  waiter  conducted  him  up  one 
flight  of  stairs  —  the  elevator  had  not  been 
invented  at  that  time  —  and  with  a  half  dollar 


6     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

in  his  palm,  the  servitor  took  back  to  the  office 
the  request  that  any  one  who  might  call  upon 
Mr.  Shenstone  during  the  evening  should  be 
shown  up  to  his  rooms  without  announcement, 
by  card  or  otherwise. 

Philip  Shenstone's  reason  for  giving  this 
direction  lay  in  a  letter  that  had  been  placed  in 
his  hand  when  he  quitted  the  Fredericksburg 
train  in  Broad  street,  where  the  railway  came 
to  a  frazzled  and  unannounced  end  in  the  open 
street,  without  station,  platform  or  any  other 
convenience  for  the  reception  or  discharge  of 
passengers.  He  had  read  the  missive  hur- 
riedly in  the  cab.  When  he  sat  down  in  his 
room  he  read  it  again,  in  the  vain  hope  of  mak- 
ing out  what  it  meant.  It  read : 

"My  Dear  Phil: — I  am  not  at  Woodlands,  as  I 
hoped  to  be  on  your  arrival,  and  I  shall  not  be 
there  for  several  days  to  come.  Make  yourself  and 
your  ward  as  comfortable  as  you  can  at  the  hotel. 
A  friend  of  mine  will  call  on  you  and  explain. 
"  Your  affectionate  uncle, 

"  BUTLER  SHENSTONE." 

The  letter  bore  no  date,  and  as  it  had  been 
delivered  by  hand,  there  was  no  postmark  or 
other  indication  of  whence  it  had  come. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA       7 

This  specially  puzzled  Phil  Shenstone,  for 
reasons.  It  had  been  many  years  since  he  had 
seen  his  uncle,  but  he  very  distinctly  remem- 
bered that  gentleman's  habits  of  precision,  and 
especially  his  almost  passionate  insistence  upon 
the  duty  every  letter  writer  owes  to  his  cor- 
respondent to  indicate  where  and  when  each 
missive  is  written  and  whither  the  reply  should 
be  sent.  This  was  one  among  the  many  dog- 
mas of  gentlemanly  conduct  which  Phil  had 
often  in  his  youth  heard  his  uncle  Butler 
descant  upon  with  almost  extravagant  em- 
phasis. 

An  undated  letter  from  Colonel  Butler  Shen- 
stone seemed  therefore  so  great  an  anomaly, 
that  Phil  would  have  put  it  aside  as  certainly  a 
forgery,  if  it  had  been  possible  to  doubt  its 
genuineness.  But  the  old  gentleman's  hand- 
writing was  peculiar  in  many  ways  and  espe- 
cially in  its  print-like  legibility  —  a  point  upon 
which  Colonel  Shenstone  insisted  as  a  require- 
ment of  morals. 

"  Nobody  has  a  moral  right,"  he  used  often 
to  declaim,  "  to  write  illegibly.  The  man  who 
does  so  is  a  monster  of  selfishness.  He  spares 


8     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

himself  the  small  pains  necessary  to  make  his 
writing  legible,  and  throws  upon  his  corre- 
spondent the  burden  of  deciphering  a  careless 
scrawl.  I  tell  you  sir,  no  gentleman  sends  an 
illegible  letter  or  even  one  difficult  to  read,  to 
anybody." 

Phil  knew  Colonel  Shenstone's  handwriting, 
and  he  knew  that  the  puzzling  letter  he  held 
in  his  hand  was  genuine.  But  what  did  it 
mean? 

While  he  was  debating  that  question  in  his 
mind  there  was  a  knock  at  his  door,  and  a  gen- 
tlemen entered.  He  introduced  himself  as 
Major  Charles  Yerger,  and  Phil  Shenstone  at 
once  remembered  him  as  the  man  who  in  his 
own  youth  had  taught  him  how  to  shoot  with 
rifle,  shotgun  and  pistol,  until  his  skill,  espe- 
cially in  wing-shooting  at  quails,  was  the  talk 
of  eastern  Virginia.  That  had  been  a  dozen 
years  or  so  ago,  when  Phil  was  a  boy. 

Major  Yerger  was  as  much  pleased  by  the 
young  man's  recollection  of  him  as  if  he  had 
been  a  school  boy  and  Phil  a  high  trustee  of 
the  school.  But  the  Major  was  there  upon  im- 
portant business.  After  the  greetings  were 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     9 

over  he  suddenly  opened  the  door,  with  an 
apologetic  wave  of  the  hand  to  Philip  Shen- 
stone,  and,  discovering  a  negro  waiter  stand- 
ing suspiciously  near  the  entrance,  handed  the 
servitor  half  a  dollar  and  bade  him  go  to  the 
head  of  the  stairs,  some  distance  away,  and 
keep  watch  there  for  a  man  in  a  white  hat  with 
a  plume  in  it. 

"  I  trust  you,"  he  said,  "  to  prevent  any  such 
man  as  that  approaching  Captain  Shenstone's 
door  without  warning.  Watch  the  stairs,  and 
if  you  don't  let  the  man  pass  you  there'll  be 
another  half  dollar  for  you  when  I  come  out 
of  the  room.  If  you  let  him  pass  you  I'll  break 
your  neck  and  throw  you  over  the  balusters." 

"  Who  is  the  man  in  the  white  hat?  "  Phil 
asked  as  Major  Yerger  closed  the  door. 

"  A  figment  of  the  imagination,"  answered 
the  Major.  "  That  negro  was  listening  at  the 
door.  He'll  stand  at  the  head  of  the  stairs 
now  and  look  for  the  white  hat.  He  hungers 
for  that  other  half  dollar,  and  he  dreads  the 
stairs,  head  foremost. 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  Phil. 


II 


MINDFUL  of  Virginia  customs,  made 
familiar  to  him  in  his  youth,  Philip 
Shenstone     asked     Major     Yerger 
what  he  would  have  to  drink. 

"  Nothing  whatever,"  answered  the  Major. 
"  I  make  it  a  rule  to  keep  a  cool  head  and  take 
no  risks  when  engaged  in  conducting  an  affair 
of  this  kind.  Pardon  me,  I  haven't  explained. 
Your  uncle  is  in  trouble,  and  of  course,  in  hid- 
ing. He  sent  me  to  tell  you  about  it." 

"  Do  you  mean  — "  began  the  young  man, 
but  changing  the  form  of  reply  he  said : 
"  Tell  me  all  about  it,  please." 
"  Well,    it's    a    miserable  business  and    I 
and  the  others  have  done  our  best  to  stop  it. 
There's  a  fellow  out  our  way  named  Royal 
Vance,  who  has  made  quite  a  little  reputation 
for  courage  by  fighting  two  or  three  pretty 
10 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     u 

safe  duels  and  challenging  in  a  number  of 
other  cases  which  were  easily  arranged." 

"  A  blowhard  ?  "  asked  Shenstone,  senten- 
tiously. 

"  Yes,  of  course.  All  aggressive  duelists 
are  that.  I  was  one  myself  once,  you  know, 
and  I  speak  with  authority.  You  laugh,  but 
that's  true.  As  I  was  about  to  say,  your 
uncle  was  counsel  not  long  ago  in  a  case 
against  Vance.  It  was  a  bad  case,  involving  a 
good  deal  of  shady  behavior  on  Vance's  part. 
You  know  how  your  uncle  regards  that  sort  of 
thing,  and  how  bitter  a  tongue  he  has  in  his 
head  when  his  sense  of  honor  is  affronted. 
You  can  imagine  the  vitriol  he  put  into  his 
speech  to  the  jury.  He  won  his  case  hands 
down,  but  Vance  has  been  pursuing  him  ever 
since  and  at  last  has  found  an  excuse  for  chal- 
lenging him." 

"  But  Colonel  Shenstone  must  be  nearly  or 
quite  seventy  years  of  age." 

"  Yes,  I  know.  But  he  peremptorily  for- 
bids us  to  plead  his  age  or  the  fact  that  his 
vision  is  so  badly  impaired  that  he  can  hardly 
tell  at  twenty  paces  whether  a  barn  door  is 


12     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

open  or  shut.  He  accepted  the  challenge,  and 
tied  our  hands  completely  by  his  refusal  to  let 
us  urge  the  facts.  '  I'm  young  enough  to  have 
flayed  Vance  in  a  speech,'  he  said  to  us,  '  and 
so  I'm  not  too  old  to  give  him  satisfaction  if 
he  wants  it.'  " 

"Who  is  'us?'"  asked  Phil. 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Who  is  acting  with  you  in  his  behalf  ?  " 

"  A  young  man  named  Wingfield, —  ah  ex- 
army  officer,  who  recently  inherited  a  planta- 
tion. He's  the  second.  I'm  under  peace 
bonds  just  now,  because  of  another  affair,  and 
can't  act  except  as  a  friend  trying  to  make 
peace." 

"  Would  Mr.  Wingfield  mind  letting  me 
take  his  place  as  second  ?  As  my  uncle's  kins- 
man — " 

"  Nothing  could  be  simpler.  You  were  not 
within  reach  when  the  challenge  was  received. 
You  have  since  arrived.  It  is  obviously  both 
your  right  and  your  duty  to  become  your  kins- 
man's second.  I'll  arrange  that.  Fortunately 
the  affair  doesn't  come  off  till  day  after  to- 
morrow morning.  Your  uncle,  you  know,  has 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     13 

a  number  of  trust  estates  in  his  hands,  and  in 
the  interests  of  innocent  persons,  we  claimed 
for  him  time  in  which  to  transfer  his  responsi- 
bilities. Vance's  seconds,  who  are  strangers 
to  me,  acted  very  well  in  that  matter,  though 
Vance  himself  objected." 

"Bloodthirsty,  eh?" 

"  Within  the  bounds  of  reasonable  safety, 
yes." 

"  I  think  I  understand.  I  always  like  to 
understand.  I  used  to  be  a  pilot  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, you  know,  and  I  always  make  it  a  rule 
to  know  a  stream  before  I  navigate  it.  In  this 
case  I  see  a  straight  reach  of  open  river  ahead, 
and  I'm  ready  to  take  the  wheel.  Have  me 
made  my  uncle's  chief  second ;  ask  Mr,  Wing- 
field  to  be  my  adviser,  and  let  me  know  when 
and  where  to  meet  the  persons  concerned. " 

"  I  suppose  it  will  be  pistols  at  ten  paces, — 
the  usual  thing?  " 

"  No.  Double-barreled  shotguns',  charged 
with  three  chambers  of  number  one  buckshot 
—  distance,  twenty  paces." 

"  That  is  unusual." 

"  The  whole  thing  is  unusual.     It  is  very 


14    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

unusual  for  a  comparatively  young  man  in 
vigorous  health  to  force  a  duel  upon  a  gentle- 
man of  seventy,  who  is  practically  blind.  I 
have  it  in  mind  to  do  something  in  this  case  for 
the  discouragement  of  that  sort  of  dueling. 
Send  me  word  where  and  when  I  am  to  meet 
Mr.  Vance's  representatives.  I  will  await  the 
summons  here.  I  suppose  it  won't  be  long?  " 

"  Not  before  to-morrow  morning.  There's 
no  hurry,  as  the  meeting  is  set  for  the  next 
morning." 

With  that  the  Major  took  his  leave,  medi- 
tating in  his  mind : 

"Wonder  what  the  boy  is  up  to?  If  he 
were  the  principal  instead  of .  the  second,  I 
shouldn't  envy  the  man  standing  twenty  paces 
away.  Why,  I've  seen  that  fellow  fill  a  bag 
with  quails  shot  on  the  wing  with  a  rifle. 
With  a  shotgun  at  twenty  paces,  great  Caesar's 
ghost  wouldn't  have  a  better  chance  than  an 
egg  shell  under  a  trip  hammer.  But  his  uncle 
can't  see.  Wonder  what  he's  up  to  anyhow." 


Ill 

NO  sooner  had  Major  Yerger  left  the 
hotel  than  word  came  to  young 
Shenstone  that  the  girl,  Valorie 
Page,  and  her  maid,  nurse  or  chaperone  — 
whatever  the  attendant  might  be  called  —  had 
arrived,  and  had  gone  to  their  rooms. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  Phil  Shen- 
stone would  have  had  them  remain  there,  and 
see  him  later.  As  he  could  not  know  how 
early  in  the  morning  he  might  be  summoned 
away  to  meet  the  seconds  of  his  uncle's  adver- 
sary, he  directed  that  the  Creole  woman  and 
her  charge  should  be  sent  to  his  parlor  at  once. 

He  knew  Nathalie  well.  He  had  had  deal- 
ings with  her.  She  was  even  now  in  his  pay. 
But  he  had  never  before  seen  Valorie  Page, 
and  her  appearance  greatly  astonished  him. 

He  had  thought  of  her  as  a  mere  child  — 
a  little  girl.  He  was  astonished  to  find  her  a 
15 


16      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

well  grown  girl  of  seventeen  or  even  older, 
perhaps,  disguised  in  the  short  frock  of  a  child. 
She  was  slender,  straight,  rather  tall,  and  dis- 
tinctly handsome,  rather  than  pretty.  She 
carried  herself  with  a  dignity  which  impressed 
Shenstone  as  imitative. 

"  She  learned  that  from  the  Mother  Supe- 
rior, I  imagine,"  he  reflected,  "  and  it  is  more 
impressive  in  a  girl  of  her  age  than  in  an  older 
woman.  It  gives  her  a  marked  distinction. 
But  how  badly  dressed  she  is!  I  say,  Natha- 
lie, has  Miss  Page  no  —  well,  no  more  suit- 
able clothes  than  those  she  is  wearing?  What 
is  in  her  trunks  ?  " 

"  If  it  please  you,  sir,  she  has  no  trunks. 
You  know  she  left  the  convent—" 

"  Yes,  I  know, —  hurriedly.  I  quite  under- 
stand. We  must  remedy  that.  We  shall  re- 
main in  this  hotel  for  a  day  or  two.  Is  your 
room  comfortable,  Valorie?  Because  if  it 
isn't  — " 

"  Very  comfortable  indeed,  Monsieur  — 
Mr.  Shenstone,  I  should  say.  Indeed  com- 
fortable, very.*' 

"  All    right   then.     Can   you   be   contented 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA      17 

in  this  hotel  for  a  day  or  two,  if  you  have 
plenty  to  do?  I  shall  be  detained  here  for  a 
little  time,  and  very  busy.  Nathalie  shall  send 
for  dressmakers  and  you  and  she  can  occupy 
yourselves  in  the  making  of  some  new  gowns 
while  I'm  busy.  I  suppose  there'll  be  —  well, 
other  things,  Nathalie,  besides  gowns.  Bless 
my  soul,  I  don't  know  what,  but  you  do,  and 
you're  to  get  them.  Have  everything  you  buy 
sent  to  the  hotel  and  everything  will  be  paid 
for  at  the  office.  I'll  arrange  that.  Take  a 
carriage  when  you  go  shopping  and  — " 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  looking  with  mas- 
culine uncertainty  at  the  girl's  exceedingly 
brief  skirts  and  the  generally  insufficient  char- 
acter of  her  costume. 

"  Couldn't  you  hang  a  lambrequin  or  some- 
thing to  the  bottom  of  her  skirt  and  let  her  go 
with  you?  She'd  enjoy  picking  out  things, 
but  I  must  say — " 

He  hesitated  again,  fearful  of  hurting  the 
girl's  feelings. 

"  I  have  a  gown  of  my  own,"  answered 
Nathalie,  "which  I  can  alter  to-night  into  a 
sufficient  shopping  costume  for  Miss  Valorie. 


i8      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

I  shall  have  it  quite  ready  by  the  morning  and 
we  will  go  together  to  the  shops.  How  much 
money  shall  we  spend,  Mr.  Shenstone?  " 

"  How  on  earth  do  I  know  ?  That's  your 
business.  You  are  to  upholster  the  girl  prop- 
erly, so  that  she  may  be  presentable  when  I 
take  her  to  Woodlands.  I  don't  know  what 
you  ought  to  pay  for  lace  or  bombazine,  or 
how  many  hats  and  shoes  and  corsets  and 
night  gowns  she  ought  to  have.  You  do,  or 
you  ought  to.  Fit  her  out  well.  That's  all 
the  instruction  I  can  give  you.  Now  then, 
Valorie,  sit  down,"  for  the  girl  was  still  stand- 
ing like  a  child  who  had  been  summoned  to 
the  presence  of  her  school  principal  to  answer 
for  some  fault.  "  Sit  down  and  let's  get 
acquainted.  Tell  me  what  you  had  for  sup- 
per." 

"  We  haven't  had  any  supper,"  she  replied, 
simply.  "  The  train  was  late  and  when  we  got 
to  the  eating  house  station  supper  was  over." 

In  that  time  of  primitive  railroading  no 
such  thing  as  a  dining  car  had  ever  been 
thought  of,  and  the  chief  purpose  of  a  "  re- 
freshment station/'  was  to  make  the  passenger 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA      19 

pay  the  most  that  could  be  extorted  from  him 
for  the  least  and  the  worst  food  he  could  be 
compelled  by  adverse  circumstances  to  accept. 

Shenstone  wasted  no  time  in  bewailing  the 
hungry  plight  of  the  girl  or  declaiming  against 
travel  conditions  that  no  complaint  could  cure. 
He  rose  and  pulled  the  bell  cord, —  stretching 
his  person  over  the  piano  to  get  at  it.  Elec- 
tric bells  were  not  in  use  at  that  time,  and 
bell  cords  were  usually  hung  in  the  most  in- 
accessible places.  When  the  bell  boy  appeared 
Shenstone  ordered  supper  served  for  three  in 
his  rooms  immediately.  The  boy  objected 
that  the  kitchen  and  dining  room  were  closed 
for  the  night. 

"  Call  a  cab  then,  and  inquire  at  the  office 
where  the  best  restaurant  in  Richmond  is. 
Be  quick." 

Then  looking  again  at  the  long,  exposed 
legs  of  the  girl,  he  turned  to  Nathalie  and 
asked : 

"  Have  you  any  sort  of  cloak  or  wrap  or 
mantilla  —  something  long  at  the  bottom  you 
know  —  which  Miss  Valorie  might  wear? 
We're  going  to  Zetelle's  for  supper."  He 


20     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

perfectly  knew  that  Zetelle's  was  the  best  res- 
taurant in  town,  and  his  instruction  to  the  bell 
boy  as  to  inquiries  on  that  subject,  had  been 
prompted  only  by  the  fact  that  the  boy  had 
stared  at  the  girl's  exposed  shanks  in  an  im- 
pertinent way.  He  had  felt  it  necessary  either 
to  send  the  boy  out  of  the  room  on  an  errand 
of  business,  or  else  to  kick  him  out  with  a  de- 
gree of  violence,  which  might  cause  disturb- 
ance in  the  corridors.  Shenstone  remembered 
that  he  was  occupying  parlors  on  the  first  floor, 
and  that  there  were  other  parlors  round  about. 

At  Zetelle's  the  girl  was  far  less  shy  than 
she  had  been  at  the  hotel,  perhaps,  because 
Nathalie's  wraps,  which  she  kept  closely  coiled 
about  her  knees,  spared  her  self-consciousness. 

To  Nathalie  she  usually  spoke  in  French  — 
after  discovering  that  Shenstone  understood 
that  language  fairly  well.  To  Shenstone  she 
spoke  only  in  English. 

Her  English  had,  now  and  then,  not  an 
accent  exactly,  but  a  suggestion  of  foreign- 
ness,  chiefly  in  her  choice  and  arrangement  of 
words.  Her  French  was  as  perfect  as  if  she 
had  learned  it  in  Paris  salons. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     21 

She  was  very  weary  after  her  journey,  but 
she  bravely  rallied  under  the  influence  of  sup- 
per, and  before  the  party  had  returned  to  the 
hotel  she  had  so  far  taken  Shenstone  into  her 
confidence  as  to  tell  him,  in  childlike  confi- 
dence, that  she  "  liked  him  very,  very  much." 


IV 

IT  was  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  when 
Philip  Shenstone,  with  Major  Yerger  and 
Captain  Wingfield  for  his  supporters,  met 
the  seconds  of  the  challenger,  Vance.  In  fact, 
they  met  to  plan  a  duel.  Ostensibly  they  met 
to  prevent  a  duel  by  securing  some  amicable 
adjustment  of  the  "  misunderstanding." 

All  parties  were  agreed  that  if  possible  the 
duel  should  give  place  to  an  "  arrangement," 
—  all  parties,  that  is  to  say,  except  Philip 
Shenstone,  and  even  he  favored  an  "  arrange- 
ment," if  one  could  be  made  upon  proper 
terms. 

"  What  is  your  idea  of  proper  terms  ? " 
asked  Vance's  second. 

"  That  Mr.  Vance  shall  withdraw  his  chal- 
lenge, on  the  ground  that  the  severe  words 
spoken  by  Colonel  Shenstone  were  spoken  in 
the  execution  of  his  duty  as  counsel  in  a  case  at 
22 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     23 

bar,  and  that  for  words  so  spoken  he  is  not 
liable  to  be  called  to  account  in  any  other 
place.  Let  me  add  that  we  justify  also;  that 
we  contend  that  the  words  spoken  by  Colonel 
Shenstone,  including  the  charge  that  Vance 
forged  or  secured  some  one  else  to  forge  the 
note  upon  which  he  sued,  are  true." 

"  But,  my  dear  Captain  Shenstone,"  inter- 
posed Vance's  second,  "  you  must  see  that  no 
such  concession  is  possible,  and  that  if  you  in- 
sist upon  it,  the  hostile  meeting  must  take 
place." 

"  I  quite  understand  that,"  answered  Phil 
Shenstone.  "  I  mean  that  the  hostile  meeting 
shall  take  place.  Let  me  explain  myself.  We 
are  forbidden  by  Colonel  Shenstone  to  plead 
his  age  or  his  impaired  vision  or  any  other  dis- 
ability on  his  part.  But  your  principal  knew 
of  these  disabilities  from  the  first,  and,  cow- 
ard that  he  is,  he  forced  this  duel  upon  an 
old  man  who  cannot  see.  In  the  language  of 
a  game  that  I  have  often  observed  on  the 
Mississippi  river,  I  have  decided  to  '  call  his 
bluff.'  Under  the  code,  if  a  principal  in  a 
duel  refuses,  or  otherwise  fails  to  come  to  the 


24      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

scratch,  his  second  is  bound  to  take  his  place. 
That  obligation  of  the  second  carries  a  privi- 
lege with  it.  There  are  two  well  established 
precedents  in  the  history  of  Virginia  dueling 
for  contending  that  at  any  time  when  he  shall 
think  it  proper  the  second  may  take  his  prin- 
cipal's place,  and  that  the  principal,  having 
placed  his  honor  in  the  keeping  of  his  second, 
has  no  right  or  privilege  of  interfering." 

"  Just  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  when  Mr.  Vance  and  Colonel 
Shenstone  meet  to-morrow  morning  with 
double-barreled  shotguns  at  twenty  paces,  I, 
who  can  see  and  who  can  shoot,  intend  to  take 
my  principal's  place,  no  matter  how  many  ob- 
jections he  may  offer.  As  his  second,  to 
whose  care  he  has  committed  his  honor,  I 
claim  the  right  to  stand  in  his  stead,  so  that 
Virginia  may  be  spared  the  spectacle  of  a 
young  man  who  can  see  to  shoot,  killing  a  half 
blind  old  man  who  can  see  scarcely  at  all. 
That  is  my  plan,  gentlemen." 

Instantly  the  representatives  of  the  chal- 
lenger asked  leave  to  withdraw  for  consider- 
ation and  for  consultation  with  their  principal. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     25 

Phil  Shenstone's  skill  as  a  wing  shot,  who  fired 
from  the  hip  without  waiting  to  bring  his  piece 
to  his  shoulder,  had  not  been  forgotten  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  Vance's  seconds  recognized  it  as  a 
factor  in  the  situation.  When  they  withdrew, 
Shenstone  lighted  a  cigar  and  set  about  polish- 
ing his  ringer  nails  while  awaiting  their  re- 
turn. 

An  hour  later  they  came  back. 

"  Mr.  Vance  declines  your  proposal  that  you 
shall  take  your  principal's  place,"  they  re- 
ported, "  on  the  sufficient  ground  that  he  has 
no  cause  of  quarrel  with  you." 

"  Mr.  Vance's  notion  of  what  constitutes  a 
cause  of  quarrel  seems  to  me  to  be  peculiarly 
deficient  in  clearness.  In  my  remarks  to  you 
I  have  characterized  him  as  a  coward  who 
seeks  to  commit  murder  under  the  pretense 
of  honorable  personal  war.  As  that  assertion 
of  mine  seems  insufficient  to  irritate  his  mind, 
I  beg  to  add  that  I  now  adopt  the  charge  made 
against  him  by  Colonel  Shenstone,  and  make  it 
my  own.  I  charge  him  with  forgery.  If, 
upon  consultation  with  your  principal,  you  find 
that  some  further  provocation  is  necessary,  I 


26      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

suggest  that  you  shall  bring  him  into  my  pres- 
ence, and  permit  me  to  give  him  an  unmistak- 
able cause  of  quarrel  by  slapping  his  jaws  with 
my  gloves  or  with  my  open  palm,  whichever 
he  may  think  most  effective." 

He  paused  and  the  others  stood  aghast  and 
bewildered  by  his  resoluteness.  After  a  mo- 
ment he  added : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  am  very  sorry  indeed  to 
place  you  in  an  embarrassing  position,  but  the 
fault  is  your  principal's  and  not  mine.  When 
you  consented  to  serve  him,  as  his  seconds, 
I  am  quite  ready  to  believe,  you  did  not  realize 
that  he  is  a  coward,  who  has  sought  reputation 
and  safety  by  forcing  a  fight  upon  an  elderly 
gentleman  who  cannot  see  to  shoot.  I  am 
in  no  way  responsible  for  the  situation  in 
which  he  has  placed  himself  and  you.  But 
that  situation  is  this :  He  must  meet  me  to- 
morrow morning  at  sunrise,  with  double-bar- 
reled shotguns,  loaded  with  three  chambers  of 
number  one  buckshot  to  the  barrel,  or  he  must 
withdraw  his  challenge  to  Colonel  Shenstone, 
and  leave  me  to  take  any  further  proceedings  I 
may  deem  proper." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     27 

Vance's  seconds  again  withdrew  for  consul- 
tation with  their  principal.  Half  an  hour  later 
they  returned  and  asked  if  Colonel  Shenstone 
would  withdraw  the  more  offensive  words  used 
in  his  speech. 

"  No,"  answered  Philip.  "  Colonel  Shen- 
stone has  no  apologies  and  no  withdrawals  to 
make.  What  is  the  use  of  wasting  time,  gen- 
tlemen? This  thing  has  fined  itself  down  to 
the  question  whether  or  not  your  principal  will 
meet  me,  as  Colonel  Shenstone's  second,  taking 
his  place,  with  shotguns  at  twenty  paces,  or 
will  withdraw  his  challenge.  There  is  no  other 
issue,  and,  as  Colonel  Shenstone's  second  I 
give  notice  that  I  will  consider  no  proposal  to 
alter  the  issue." 

Again  the  seconds  withdrew.  Presently 
they  returned  in  a  mood  of  profound  disgust 
and  indignation.  Vance  had  allowed  himself 
to  be  arrested  as  a  man  contemplating  a  duel. 
As  matters  then  existed  in  Virginia,  that  meant 
that  Vance  had  deliberately  secured  his  own 
arrest  as  a  convenient  way  of  escaping  from 
the  duel  he  had  sought  and  from  which  he 
shrank  because  of  Phil  Shenstone's  substitu- 


28      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

tion  of  himself  for  his  uncle  in  the  character  of 
the  man  who  was  to  do  the  shooting.  No 
other  explanation  was  possible.  It  was  not 
considered  "  good  form  "  in  Virginia,  at  that 
time,  for  the  officers  of  the  law  to  succeed  in 
finding  anybody  engaged  in  a  duel,  so  long  as 
he  kept  himself,  even  nominally,  in  hiding. 

The  gentlemen  who  had  been  acting  for 
Vance,  fully  recognized  the  situation. 

"  If  you  demand  a  meeting,"  they  said,  "  of 
course  we  hold  ourselves  bound  to  take  the 
place  of  our  recalcitrant  principal." 

"Thank  you  for  the  courtesy,  gentlemen," 
answered  Shenstone.  "  I  recognize  your  posi- 
tion and  honor  your  readiness  to  fulfill  a  dis- 
agreeable duty.  But  I  have  no  demand  to 
make  of  you." 

"  Let  me  offer  you  my  hand,  Captain  Shen- 
stone," said  the  late  second  of  Vance,  "  and 
permit  me  to  hope  that  we  shall  meet  many 
times  hereafter  under  pleasanter  conditions 
than  those  which  have  brought  us  together 
upon  the  present  occasion.  Of  course,  we 
must  now  present  ourselves  before  a  commit- 
ting magistrate." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     29 

"  What  for?  "  asked  Shenstone. 

"  Simply  to  be  examined,  to  decline  to 
answer  any  questions  put  to  us,  and  to  be  dis- 
charged. It  would  be  the  same  if  the  duel 
had  actually  occurred  and  you  had  taken  a 
wing  shot  at  —  well  at  the  man  we  have  re- 
pudiated. You  may  or  may  not  understand 
it,  Captain,  but  the  law  of  Virginia  with  re- 
gard to  dueling  has  been  carefully  framed  to 
forbid  duels,  but  at  the  same  time  to  render 
it  impossible  to  punish  anybody  for  doing  the 
thing  forbidden.  The  law  makes  dueling  a 
crime,  but  in  an  excess  of  virtuous  condemna- 
tion it  holds  everybody  a  criminal  who  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  a  duel,  or  who  knows  any- 
thing about  it,  and  doesn't  succeed  in  pre- 
venting it.  But  as  every  possible  witness  in 
such  a  case  is  excused  from  testifying  on  the 
ground  that  his  testimony  might  incriminate 
himself,  of  course  it  is  impossible  —  utterly, 
hopelessly  impossible  —  to  establish  the  fact 
that  anything  like  a  duel  was  ever  so  much  as 
contemplated.  But  we  must  go  through  the 
forms,  you  know." 

"  I  see.     It  reminds  me  of  the  old  days  in 


30     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Louisville.  There  was  a  Sabbath  Day  En- 
forcement League  in  that  city.  It  demanded 
an  ordinance  closing  all  shops  on  Sunday. 
The  city  government  won  the  favor  of  the 
leaguers  by  passing  a  very  stringent  ordinance 
to  that  effect,  and  then  pleased  the  other  fel- 
lows by  utterly  neglecting  to  enforce  it.  Do 
you  like  a  good  cigar  ?  I  think  you'll  find  one 
of  these  acceptable." 


ON  returning  to  his  hotel,  Phil  Shen- 
stone  found  a  note  from  his  uncle 
awaiting  him. 

"  My  Dear  Phil,"  it  read.  "  I  cannot  at 
all  approve  the  course  you  have  pursued  in  this 
Vance  matter.  It  seems  to  me  to  have  been 
at  the  least  impertinent.  But  as  all  my  ad- 
visers assure  me  that  you  acted  in  strict  ac- 
cordance with  the  code,  and  warn  me  that  if 
I  enter  the  smallest  objection  or  in  any  way 
criticise  your  conduct  I  shall  be  deemed  an 
outlaw,  I  can  only  say  that  I  submit  as  re- 
luctantly as  may  be  possible  under  the  rules 
that  govern  the  conduct  of  honorable  gentle- 
men in  such  circumstances. 

"  Now  when  are  you  coming  to  Woodlands 
with  the  young  lady  you  have  in  charge  ?  Or, 
to  speak  more  accurately,  at  what  time  shall  I 
send  the  Woodlands  carriage  to  the  hotel  to 


32      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

fetch  you  and  the  young  lady?  For,  of 
course,  she  must  come  to  us  in  the  Woodlands 
carriage.  As  for  you,  you  are  under  as  much 
of  censure  and  displeasure  on  my  part  as  the 
code  permits,  but  your  old  familiar  room  is  at 
your  service,  and  your  Aunt  Mary  has  come 
over  to  Woodlands  for  a  few  days  to  receive 
the  young  lady. 

"  I  am  so  sorely  displeased  with  you  that  if 
you  can  make  yourself  and  your  charge  com- 
fortable at  the  hotel  for  another  twenty-four 
hours,  it  will  be  agreeable  to  me.  I  want  a 
little  time  in  which  to  forgive  you.  But  send 
me  a  line  to  Woodlands  by  my  messenger,  who 
has  instructions  to  await  your  reply,  and  I  will 
send  the  carriage  at  such  time  as  you  shall  fix 
upon." 

Philip  Shenstone's  face  broke  into  a  broad 
smile,  as  he  read  the  communication. 

"  We  are  two  gentlemen  of  Virginia,"  he 
reflected.  "  One  of  us  is  old  and  the  other 
young.  We  look  at  things  with  different  eyes. 
But  the  young  man  sees  more  clearly  than  the 
old  one  does.  Still  the  old  gentleman  is  en- 
titled to  his  feeling  in  the  matter." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     33 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  he  wrote.  "  Doubtless 
you  are  quite  right  in  what  you  say  of  my  im- 
pertinence. But  it  is  the  privilege  of  youth  to 
be  impertinent.  I  remember  how  it  was  when 
you  caught  me  stealing  watermelons  from  your 
Hawe  Branch  patch,  when  I  was  a  boy.  You 
denounced  me  as  an  impertinent  young 
poacher,  but  you  called  my  attention  to  the 
fact  that  all  the  really  ripe  watermelons  were 
on  the  other  side  of  the  patch,  and  in  kindly, 
generous  spirit,  you  went  away  leaving  me  free 
to  profit  by  your  instruction. 

"  Now  I  want  to  explain  the  impertinence 
that  prompted  me  to  interfere  as  I  did  with 
your  duel.  I  hate  dueling.  I  detest  it.  I 
regard  it  as  a  relic  of  barbarism.  I  see  clearly 
that  it  survives  in  Virginia  simply  because  a 
set  of  cowardly  braggarts  think  to  win  a  max- 
imum of  reputation  for  chivalric  courage  at  a 
minimum  risk  of  personal  safety.  They  chal- 
lenge old  men  or  men  who  are  practically  blind, 
and  they  fight  with  pistols  that  couldn't  hit 
anybody  if  they  tried.  A  dozen  years  ago, 
when  I  was  a  boy  with  an  inquiring  mind,  I 
investigated  this  thing.  I  tested  a  dozen  pairs 


34      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

of  dueling  pistols,  by  fixing  them  in  a  vise  and 
firing  them  point-blank.  I  found,  in  every 
single  instance  that  their  sights  were  carefully 
so  adjusted  as  to  miss  the  man  they  were 
aimed  at.  When  I  found  Vance  trying  to  get 
a  little  reputation  for  courage  by  fighting  a 
half-blind  man  like  you,  I  decided  that  one  of 
two  things  should  happen;  either  he  should 
back  out,  or  he  should  receive  a  charge  of 
buckshot  through  his  diaphragm. 

"  He  chose  the  wiser  and  safer  course.  Vir- 
ginia is  well  rid  of  him,  as  a  swashbuckler.  I 
tell  you,  uncle  mine,  it  only  needs  that  a  few 
of  us  shall  render  dueling  dangerous  in  order 
to  abolish  it  in  Virginia.  I  shall  probably  re- 
main here  for  a  time  and  I  shall  always  stand 
ready  to  come  back  upon  summons.  But  my 
terms  are  double-barreled  shotguns,  loaded 
with  three  chambers  of  number  one  buckshot 
to  the  barrel.  I  do  not  anticipate  any  chal- 
lenges. 

"  So  much  for  impertinence.  Now  for  the 
young  girl.  I  find  she  is  not  properly  clothed. 
I  have  directed  her  attendant  to  provide  proper 
garments  for  her.  She  tells  me  that  all  will  be 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     35 

ready  on  Thursday  morning.  If  you  will  or- 
der the  carriage  to  be  here  at  that  time,  Val- 
orie  and  I  will  drive  out  to  Woodlands,  and,  if 
you  receive  Valorie  tenderly,  you  shall  be  free 
to  denounce  me  and  my  impertinence  in  any 
terms  that  your  eloquence  may  suggest.  But 
I  give  you  fair  warning  that  the  next  swash- 
buckler who  tries  to  force  a  duel  upon  you,  will 
have  to  face  me  at  twenty  paces  with  shotguns, 
or  —  well  or  take  the  consequences  whenever 
he  and  I  meet.  Let  us  dismiss  all  this.  My 
ward  seems  a  sensitive  creature,  and  I  am  anx- 
ious that  she  shall  be  happy  at  Woodlands.  I 
hope  you  will  receive  her  cordially  in  spite  of 
my  inability  to  explain  to  you  precisely  who 
she  is,  whence  she  comes  and  why.  I  make 
myself  sponsor  for  her,  absolutely,  and  with- 
out reserve  of  any  sort.  She  is  a  young  gen- 
tlewoman, and  must  be  received  as  such  in  the 
society  round  about  Woodlands,  or  I  shall  in- 
quire why,  with  a  corkscrew. 

"  We  shall  expect  the  Woodlands  carriage 
on  Thursday  morning.  But  if  you  or  Aunt 
Mary,  or  anybody  else,  have  or  has  the  slight- 
est hesitation  about  receiving  Valorie  Page  as 


36      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

an  honored  guest,  I  beg  you  to  let  me  know. 
In  that  event  you  and  they  shall  not  be 
troubled.  But  I  do  not  doubt  that  I  know  your 
chivalry  and  Aunt  Mary's  tender  affectionate- 
ness  too  well  for  that.  Please  tell  Aunt  Mary, 
with  my  love,  that  I  think  it  very  good  in  her 
to  leave  home  and  go  over  to  Woodlands  to 
receive  my  ward.  I  am  sure  she  will  feel  re- 
paid when  she  meets  Valerie  and  finds  out 
how  dear  a  child  she  is.  As  for  you,  I  look 
to  see  you  and  Valorie  sweethearting  within 
forty-eight  hours  after  you  meet." 


VI 

WHEN  Valorie  presented  herself  at 
dinner  that  afternoon  in  a  new 
gown  —  simple,  becoming  and 
therefore  beautiful  —  she  seemed  a  different 
person  from  the  shy  girl  whom  Shenstone  had 
summoned  to  his  presence  on  the  former  occa- 
sion. She  was  still  shrinkingly  modest,  but 
her  modesty  was  dignified  and  it  had  no  touch 
of  shame  in  it.  She  was  gowned  as  a  young 
woman  now,  and  she  had  no  occasion  to  stoop 
as  she  had  done  before  in  order  to  make  her 
dress  cover  her  shanks. 

"  You'll  do,"  Shenstone  thought  to  himself, 
"  and  if  that  old  uncle  of  mine  doesn't  fall  in 
love  with  you,  I'll  fall  in  love  with  you  my- 
self." 

He  paid  Nathalie  the  sum  he  had  agreed 
to  pay  her,  giving  it  to  her  in  gold,  for  the 
reason  that  in  that  barbaric  time  every  state 
37 


38      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

in  the  Union  had  its  own  wildcat  currency, 
which  in  other  states  varied  so  greatly  in  its 
comparative  worthlessness,  that  every  mer- 
chant had  to  keep  a  "  Bank  Note  Detector  "  al- 
Aways  at  hand.  Only  the  notes  of  the  Northern 
Bank  of  Kentucky  and  those  of  the  Suffolk 
banks  of  Massachusetts  passed  at  par  in  all 
the  states. 

After  Nathalie  had  gone  by  a  very  early 
train,  the  Woodlands  carriage  came.  It  was  a 
vehicle  of  antique  construction,  hung  so  high 
upon  leathern  springs  that  a  folding  flight  of 
steps  was  needed  on  either  side  for  descent  to 
the  ground. 

The  journey  to  Woodlands  was  one  of  many 
miles.  The  roads  were  earthen  tracks,  smooth 
now  that  it  was  June,  and  bordered  in  every 
part  with  that  luxuriance  of  vegetation  which 
makes  the  mere  process  of  living  a  delight  in 
the  Virginian  summer  time.  Here  the  road 
ran  through  woodlands,  thickly  bordered  with 
flowering  shrubs;  presently  it  emerged  from 
the  forest  glades  into  a  space  where  wheat- 
fields,  whitening  to  the  harvest,  gave  welcome 
with  their  flaunting  promise  of  plenty;  then 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     39 

deflecting  a  little  to  the  right  or  left,  it  passed 
between  fields  of  lustily  luxuriant  cornstalks, 
a  dozen  feet  or  so  in  height,  bending  under  a 
burden  of  slowly  forming  ears,  and  spreading 
their  sword-like  blades  so  thickly  that  he  who 
would  pass  among  them  on  such  a  morning  as 
this  must  reconcile  himself  to  a  drenching  with 
dew.  Here  and  there  were  antique  rail  fences 
bordering  the  roadway  —  fences  buried  in 
climbing  vines,  clematis,  blackberry  bushes,  and 
the  beautiful  but  noxious  creeper  known  in 
Virginia  as  "  poison  oak,"  elsewhere  as 
"  poison  ivy,"  though  it  is  neither  oak  nor  ivy, 
—  a  growth  at  once  as  beautiful  and  as  dan- 
gerous as  the  "  strange  woman  "  against  whom 
Solomon  gave  warning  to  all  ages. 

Valorie  paid  small  heed  to  the  city  streets 
or  the  city  sights  as  the  carriage  was  driven 
away  from  the  hotel,  though  her  companion 
sought  to  interest  her  in  them.  She  was  po- 
litely impervious  to  city  interests.  Had  she 
not  seen  New  Orleans  in  all  the  glory  of  its 
strange  sub-tropical,  half-foreign,  half-native, 
and  altogether  impressive  magnificence? 
What  had  Richmond  to  show  to  eyes  like  hers, 


40      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

accustomed  to  far  nobler  sights?  But  when 
the  carriage  quitted  the  city  streets  and  passed 
on  into  the  glory  of  the  country,  she  became 
enthusiastic.  She  stretched  her  neck  out  of 
one  window  and  then  out  of  the  other,  and 
presently  she  said : 

"  Oh,  I  am  missing  so  much  of  it !  If  I  look 
at  one  side  of  the  road  the  other  escapes  me. 
Why  isn't  it  an  open  carriage  ?  " 

Shenstone  signaled  the  driver  to  stop. 
Then  opening  the  carriage  door  and  letting 
down  the  steps,  he  beckoned  the  girl  to  alight. 

"  I'll  drive,"  he  said  to  the  coachman. 
"  Take  your  stand  on  the  trunk-plate  behind. 
The  young  lady  will  ride  by  my  side  on  the 
box." 

With  that  he  helped  her  to  climb  to  the  high 
perch,  and  himself  took  the  whip  and  the  reins. 

Valorie  was  in  ecstasies.  She  had  never 
seen  the  country  before.  She  had  never  be- 
fore smelled  the  odors  of  the  woodlands  and 
the  fields.  She  had  never  traversed  a  Virginia 
road  in  June.  She  had  never  lived,  as  she 
said  to  her  companion,  until  now.  In  her 
eagerness  to  grasp  all  of  joy  that  the  roadsides 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    41 

offered,  she  was  half  a  dozen  times  in  immi- 
nent danger  of  tumbling  off  the  box,  and  Shen- 
stone  found  it  necessary  now  and  then  to  pass 
his  arm  round  her  waist  by  way  of  restraining 
her.  He  did  not  seem  to  mind  that.  Many 
times  he  reined  in  the  horses  and  let  her  climb 
down  from  her  high  perch  to  gather  particu- 
larly alluring  clusters  of  wild  flowers.  To 
them,  rather  than  to  Shenstone,  she  talked. 
They  seemed  alive  to  her  and  to  be  a  part  of 
the  glorious  June  morning.  She  addressed 
them  as  if  they  had  been  sentient  and  respon- 
sive. She  told  them  of  her  joy  in  the  perfect 
day.  She  promised  them  water  and  tender 
care  at  Woodlands.  She  entreated  them  to 
forgive  her  for  plucking  them,  and  to  love  her 
as  she  reminded  them  that  the  birds,  singing 
all  about,  manifestly  did. 

In  brief  the  girl  —  half  child,  half  woman, 
and  altogether  bewitching  —  behaved  in  a 
fashion  that  fascinated  Phil  Shenstone,  robbed 
him  of  his  accustomed  reason  and  left  him, 
as  he  said  in  later  and  soberer  moments,  "  a 
bewildered  idiot." 

Sometimes,  when  the  girl  had  climbed  down 


42      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

from  the  box  and  had  secured  a  particularly 
beautiful  bunch  of  wild  flowers,  she  would 
dance  a  little  in  delight  upon  the  grass  by  the 
roadside.  Shenstone  was  old  enough  and 
young  enough  to  observe  that  her  dancing  was 
that  of  one  skilled  in  the  art,  but  still  possessed 
of  spontaneity.  It  was  at  once  the  dancing 
of  an  accomplished  mistress  of  the  art,  and 
the  dancing  of  a  free-hearted  child. 

Phil  Shenstone  had  been  uncertain  as  to  the 
duration  of  his  stay  in  Virginia  —  whether  it 
should  be  for  three  days  or  possibly  three 
weeks.  During  Valerie's  second  or  third 
dancing  exhibition,  he  decided  that  it  should 
continue  for  three  months  at  least.  When 
he  announced  this  determination  to  Valorie, 
she  opened  wide  her  great  blue  eyes,  and  said : 

"  I  don't  understand  how  you  can  ever  think 
of  leaving  an  enchanted  land  like  this." 

Shenstone  knew  of  old  the  way  to  Wood- 
lands, and  he  knew  the  rigidity  of  his  aunt's 
insistence  upon  the  proprieties.  So  when  a 
gate  was  passed,  a  mile  distant  from  the  house 
grounds,  he  halted  the  carriage,  placed  him- 
self and  Valorie  again  within  it,  and  gave  the 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     43 

driver  what  that  benighted  believer  in  antique 
nomenclatures  called  "  eighteen  pence  " —  in 
other  words  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  —  by  way 
of  hush  money  as  to  the  wild  outside  ride. 
Then  in  decorous  state  the  vehicle  threaded 
its  way  through  the  pine  and  hickory  forest  to 
the  hereditary  home  of  all  the  Shenstones  — 
Woodlands. 


VII 

IT  was  Colonel  Shenstone's  habit  to  rise 
with  the  earliest  dawn,  to  visit  his  stables, 
see  his  mules  fed  and  curried,  ride  out  to 
the  fields  to  give  orders  for  the  day's  planta- 
tion work,  and  then  return  to  the  house  half 
an  hour  or  so  before  the  nine  o'clock  breakfast. 

On  the  second  or  third  morning  of  Valerie's 
residence  at  Woodlands,  the  old  gentleman 
was  astonished  to  find  her  waiting  for  him 
when  he  came  out  of  his  chamber  a  little  after 
five  o'clock,  smoothly  shaven  and  clad  in  the 
immaculate  suit  of  white  duck,  which  he  al- 
ways wore  in  summer  when  it  did  not  rain. 

"  I  want  to  see  everything,  Uncle  Butler," 
she  said,  explainingly.  "  I'm  going  to  call 
you  Uncle  Butler,  if  I  may.  May  I  ?  " 

The  old  gentleman,  with  the  gallantry  of 
generations  focused  in  his  being,  threw  his 
arm  about  her,  drew  her  lithe  form  to  him, 
44 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    45 

kissed  her  on  the  forehead,  and  answered : 
"  You  are  to  call  me  by  any  name  you 
please,  if  only  you  speak  it  gently  and  as  if 
it  had  an  affectionate  significance  to  you.  But 
what  the  deuce,  you  little  minx,  are  you  doing 
out  of  your  bed  at  this  unholy  hour  of  the 
morning?  " 

"  What  does  '  Little  Minx '  mean,  Uncle 
Butler?  Never  mind  about  explaining  it,  be- 
cause your  tone  tells  me  it  isn't  anything  very 
bad.  Besides  you  asked  me  a  question.  I'm 
up  at  what  you  call  this  unholy  hour  in  the 
morning,  because  I  like  to  be  up.  Let  me  tell 
you,  Uncle  Butler, —  I  was  never  free  in  my 
life  till  now.  I  never  did  as  I  pleased  till  now. 
I  was  never  in  the  country  till  two  or  three 
days  ago,  and  when  the  daylight  peeped  into 
my  windows  this  morning,  I  said  to  myself: 
'Get  up,  you  lazy  girl,  and  revel  in  it  all.' 
That's  why  I'm  here.  But  I  didn't  expect  to 
find  you  in  the  porch,  I  only  thought  I'd  get 
up  and  go  out  and  smell  things  that  are  sweet, 
and  breathe  the  fresh  country  air,  and  maybe, 
steal  a  few  cherries  from  the  tree  I  saw  from 
my  window." 


46      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Here,  boy !  "  said  the  Colonel  to  a  passing 
negro  lad.  "  Are  your  hands  clean  ?  Go  and 
wash  them  anyhow.  Then  go  to  the  ox-heart 
cherry  trees  behind  the  house  and  bring  your 
Miss  Valorie  a  lot  of  cherries.  Those  you 
saw  from  your  window,  Little  Minx,  are  morol- 
los,  as  sour  as  vinegar,  and  not  worth  steal- 
ing. Jack  will  steal  some  better  ones  for  you. 
But  I'm  going  to  the  stables  to  see  the  mules 
fed  and  curried.  So  I  must  leave  you." 

"  May  I  not  go  with  you  ? "  she  asked 
pleadingly. 

"  But  you'll  miss  your  cherries." 

"  That's  unfortunate,"  the  girl  responded, 
regretfully,  "but  I  like  you  so  much  better 
than  the  cherries.  Besides,  maybe,  I'd  get 
my  feet  wet  going  with  you,  and  I  do  so  want 
to  get  my  feet  wet  with  the  dew.  I'll  go 
with  you,  Uncle." 

Colonel  Shenstone  hailed  another  passing 
negro  boy  and  said : 

"  Stay  right  here  till  Jack  comes  with  the 
cherries  I  sent  him  after,  and  tell  him  to  bring 
them  to  the  stables,  do  you  hear  ?  " 

"  But  I'se  got  to  help  — " 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     47 

"  Never  mind  what  you've  got  to  help.  Do 
as  I  tell  you." 

The  boy's  face  clouded.  "  Ef  I  don't  git 
out  to  de  milkin'  pen  'fore  Mammy  tackles  de 
crazy  cow,  Mammy'll  lick  me  fo'  sho'." 

"  Tell  her  not  to.  You  do  what  I  tell  you. 
Oh,  never  mind;  here  comes  Jack  with  the 
cherries.  Hustle  to  the  cowpens  and  don't 
get  licked." 

Jack's  notions  as  to  what  constituted  a 
proper  supply  of  cherries  for  a  young  lady, 
were  based  upon  his  own  capacity  for  consum- 
ing that  fruit.  He  brought  at  least  two 
quarts  of  the  cherries  for  Valerie's  consump- 
tion, having  himself  swallowed  at  least  three 
quarts  during  the  process  of  picking  them. 
Ordinarily  he  was  forbidden  to  invade  these 
trees.  He  had  eaten  his  share,  stones  and 
all,  under  the  fixed  negro  delusion  that  cher- 
ries can  never  produce  an  intestinal  disturb- 
ance if  their  seeds  be  swallowed  with  them. 
If  he  had  dared  he  would  have  communicated 
this  bit  of  physiological  lore  to  Valorie,  when 
he  saw  her  rejecting  the  stones  of  her  cherries. 
But  he  had  nous  enough  to  suspect  that  his 


48      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

master  would  resent  the  impertinence  in  some 
way  troublesome  to  himself.  So  he  phil- 
osophically reflected,  as  he  saw  the  girl  eating 
the  fruit  and  throwing  the  stones  away, 
"  tain't  none  o'  my  business  ef  she  gits  a  colic 
for  her  foolishness." 

The  Colonel  ate  half  a  dozen  of  the  cherries 
—  no  more.  He  had  taken  a  cup  of  coffee  — 
very  bad  coffee  he  thought  —  and  it  was  not 
his  habit  to  take  anything  else  until  the  nine 
o'clock  breakfast  hour.  But  somehow,  this 
"  little  minx  "  had  bewitched  him,  and  he  ac- 
cepted a  part  of  the  fruit  at  her  hands.  The 
rest  she  distributed  to  the  stable  boys  who  in- 
stantly decided  that  "the  new  little  miss  is  a 
thoroughbred." 

Presently  the  Colonel  was  seized  with  an 
idea,  and  he  whispered  it  into  Valerie's  ear. 

"  I  say,  can  you  ride  ?  "  he  asked. 

"A  little,"  she  responded.  "I  had  what 
they  call  '  lessons '  while  I  was  in  the  con- 
vent. You  see  it  was  thought — "  she  broke 
off  the  sentence  in  consternation. 

"  Never  mind  what  was  thought,"  answered 
the  Colonel,  gallantly.  "  If  you  ever  sat  upon 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    49 

a  horse  at  all,  you  can  ride  a  pacing  mare  of 
mine.  Robert,  bring  out  Zephyr  and  put  a 
side-saddle  on  her.  Phil  is  still  asleep,  the 
lazy  fellow,  and  you  and  I,  Valorie,  are  going 
to  have  a  ride  all  by  ourselves.  Zephyr  is  the 
best-behaved  of  mares,  and — " 

"  She's  jest  a  little  fractious  this  mornin','' 
interposed  Robert,  the  groom.  "  She's  been 
stabled  too  long." 

"  Never  mind.  We'll  manage  her.  Bring 
her  out  and  saddle  her." 

"  Yes,"  interposed  the  girl,  who  really  knew 
more  of  riding  than  her  modesty  permitted 
her  to  say,  and  who  had  in  abundant  measure 
that  highest  quality  of  the  horsewoman,  per- 
fect fearlessness, — "  Yes,  bring  her  out  and 
I'll  ride  her.  Uncle  Butler,  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
ride  a  hurricane  or  an  earthquake  or  a  cata- 
clysm—  I  don't  know  what  that  last  word 
means  —  on  so  glorious  a  morning  as  this." 

The  Colonel  looked  at  her,  and  this  time  he 
said  out  loud  what  he  had  before  said  to  him- 
self: 

"You'll  do!" 


VIII 

FR  the  first  time  in  his  life  Col.  Shen- 
itone  was  late  that  morning  to  break- 
last.  The  "  little  minx  "  was  respon- 
sible, though  the  Colonel  gallantly  took  all  the 
blame  upon  himself.  He  had  been  slow  anc| 
clumsy,  he  said,  in  explaining  why  he  topped 
and  primed  tobacco  so  that  each  plant  should 
bear  eight  leaves  and  no  more.  He  had  need- 
lessly wasted  time  in  the  cornfields,  showing 
his  companion  how  he  grew  watermelons  there 
that  might  be  good  when  those  in  the  uplands 
patch  were  too  dry  and  those  in  the  lowlands 
too  wet.  He  had  unpardonably  detained  her 
at  the  gate  where  Haley  was  distributing  corn 
to  three  or  four  hundred  razorback  hogs. 
Really  Haley  was  such  a  character  that  he  had 
felt  bound  to  make  Valorie  acquainted  with 
him.  And  then  he  had  been  obliged  to  ex- 
plain to  the  young  lady  the  process  of  driv- 
50 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     51 

ing  flocks  of  turkeys  through  the  tobacco  lots, 
to  pick  off  the  grasshoppers.  On  the  whole, 
the  Colonel  felt  that  he  was  to  be  excused. 

"  And  what's  the  difference,  Little  Minx  ?  " 
he  called  out.  "  The  cold  ham  is  here.  If  the 
beaten  biscuits  are  cold,  we've  the  consolation 
of  knowing  that  there's  another  skilletful  in 
the  kitchen.  The  hot  bread  is  passed,  of 
course,  but  I  see  that  Phil  has  so  far  remem- 
bered his  manners  as  to  slice  and  butter  the 
French  roll.  You  and  I  have  issued  a  new 
Declaration  of  Independence.  Kizzie,  the 
cook,  may  fret  and  fume  to  her  heart's  con- 
tent, but  you  and  I  are  going  to  be  late  to 
breakfast  just  as  often  as  we  like.  So  there! 
Elsie,  haven't  you  any  hot  cakes  ?  " 

A  moment  later  the  jolly  old  gentleman  re- 
sumed : 

"  You're  a  lazybones,  Phil,"  he  began. 
"  And  you've  missed  the  greatest  morning  of 
your  life.  I  tell  you  — " 

"  Don't  tell  me,  uncle.  I've  been  up  since 
the  dawn,  and  I've  seen  all  the  glory  of  the 
morning,  though  I  had  no  such  good  company 
as  you  enjoyed.  That  is  a  pleasure  yet  to 


52      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

come,  unless  you  and  Valorie  have  conspired 
to  shut  me  out  of  early  morning  rides  with 
her.  I  believe  you  quite  capable  of  that." 

"  Put  it  a  little  differently,  Phil,  and  I'll 
agree  with  you.  If  you  don't  show  yourself 
in  time  to  ride  with  my  Little  Minx,  why  I'll 
ride  with  her  myself,  and  you  may  as  well  un- 
derstand it.  But  tell  me,  where  have  you 
been?" 

"  Visiting  my  plantation.  You  see,  Valorie, 
an  old  lady  has  subjected  me  to  a  sore  em- 
barrassment. That  and  you  are  the  sole  rea- 
sons for  my  being  in  Virginia  at  this  time. 
Aunt  Patty  Rooker,  my  father's  great  aunt, 
you  understand,  died  a  little  while  ago  and 
willed  to  me  her  plantation  and  negroes.  Her 
plantation  consists  of  about  three  hundred 
acres  of  utterly  worn  out  land,  mostly  grown 
up  in  old  field  pines,  and  her  negroes  com- 
prise four  families,  seventeen  persons  in  all, 
only  one  of  whom  is  fit  to  do  a  day's  work. 
I've  been  over  there  this  morning  to  see  Niah, 
the  one  able-bodied  man  in  the  lot.  I  tried 
to  make  an  arrangement  with  him.  I  offered 
to  let  him  have  the  plantation  rent  free  so 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     53 

long  as  he  should  live,  if  he  would  undertake 
to  make  it  yield  a  living  for  the  seventeen  of 
them.  Being  a  person  of  some  shrewdness, 
Niah  declined  the  proposal.  Then  I  made 
another  offer.  I  happen  to  own  some  wild 
land  in  Indiana  —  good,  fertile  land,  but  ut- 
terly useless  to  me.  There  are  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  it.  I  offered  to  give  it  free 
to  the  crew  of  seventeen,  with  transportation 
thrown  in,  if  they  would  emigrate.  But,  of 
course,  they  would  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  I 
said  I  would  stock  their  little  farms,  give  them 
a  mule  apiece,  and  a  cow,  but  they  shook  their 
heads.  They  had  attachments  to  their  old 
home;  they  didn't  know  how  they  might  get 
on  among  '  a  lot  o'  Yankees.'  In  brief,  the 
thing  was  a  failure  altogether.  I'm  saddled 
with  a  wholly  worthless  plantation  and  the  care 
of  seventeen  negroes,  only  one  of  whom  is 
able  to  do  a  real  day's  work.". 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do,  Mr.  Shen- 
tone  ?  —  I  don't  like  to  call  you  that,  it  seems 
so  —  well,  so  far  away,  and  you  have  been  so 
kind  to  me.  Mayn't  I  call  you — " 

"  Call     me     Phil,"     answered     Shenstone. 


54      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  That's  friendly  and  fellowshippy,  and  that's 
what  Uncle  calls  me.  Just  call  me  Phil." 

"  But  —  well,  suppose  I  say  '  Mister  '  first. 
I'll  call  you  Mr.  Phil,  and  you  shall  call  me 
Val.  That's  what  my  father  called  me  in  the 
long  ago,  when  I  was  permitted  to  know  him, 
before  he  became  bad." 

"  He  was  never  bad,  Val.  The  people  who 
told  you  that  were  liars.  I  knew  your  father 
for  many  years  and  he  was  never  bad." 

The  girl  quivered  with  emotion. 

"  Then  they  wronged  him?  "  she  said,  add- 
ing :  "  I  always  felt  that  they  did.  Dear 
father!  He  used  to  tell  me  stories,  and  I 
loved  him  so  much  that  I  couldn't  learn  to  hate 
him  when  they  told  me  I  must." 

"  Whoever  told  you  aught  of  evil  of  your 
father,"  said  Shenstone,  with  impressive  earn- 
estness, "  was  a  liar  and  the  truth  was  not  in 
him.  Believe  me.  I  knew  him.  I  know  his 
whole  story  as  you  do  not,  and  it  is  as  well 
that  you  never  shall.  I  tell  you  now,  and  I 
shall  tell  you  always,  to  believe  in  your  father, 
in  his  integrity,  in  his  righteousness  and  in  his 
devoted  love  for  you.  Cherish  his  memory  if 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    55 

you  desire  to  cherish  anything  of  the  past. 
Whatever  else  you  do,  or  think,  or  believe,  or 
suspect,  never  for  one  moment  suffer  yourself 
to  lose  your  abiding  faith  in  the  memory,  the 
integrity,  the  great,  overpowering  goodness 
of  your  father.  " 

"Will  you  tell  me  about  him,  sometime?" 
the  girl  asked  eagerly,  passionately. 

"  Sometime,  perhaps.  Not  now.  We  have 
much  else  to  talk  about  now;  but  sometime 
I  will  tell  you  about  your  father.  But  you 
asked  me  a  question.  What  am  I  going  to 
do  about  the  black  people  on  the  worthless 
little  plantation  which  my  great  aunt  has 
willed  to  me?  Beyond  the  present  I  do  not 
know.  For  the  present  I'm  going  to  ask 
Uncle  Butler  for  the  address  of  his  com- 
mission merchants  in  Richmond,  and  I  am 
going  to  write  to  them  for  some  Cincinnati 
bacon,  some  western  flour  and  two  or  three 
barrels  of  roe  herrings  with  which  to  feed 
them.  My  dear  Val,  you  can't  imagine  their 
helplessness.  There  isn't  one  of  them  who 
couldn't  do  good  service  in  a  garden,  and  the 
garden  over  there  is  the  one  fertile  spot  on  the 


56      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

little  plantation.  It  has  had  the  benefit  of  all 
the  fertilizers  produced  on  the  place  for  three 
generations  past,  and  there  is  nobody  for  it  to 
feed  except  the  seventeen  negroes  of  whom  I 
have  become  the  embarrassed  and  unhappy 
owner.  Yet  it  has  never  occurred  to  them, 
in  my  absence,  to  plant  the  garden.  It  is 
June  now,  and  last  year's  weeds  are  still  undis- 
turbed. Not  a  bed  has  been  spaded.  Not  a 
seed  has  been  put  into  the  ground.  I've  or- 
dered the  whole  force  —  perhaps  I  should  call 
it  the  whole  feebleness  —  to  set  to  work  mak- 
ing beds  to-day  and  after  breakfast  I'm  going 
over  to  superintend  the  work.  Will  you  ride 
over  with  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  of  course,  if  my  lessons  are 
over  in  time." 

"  Your  lessons  ?  " 

"  Yes.  In  Virginia  housekeeping.  You 
see  Aunt  Mary  has  left  her  own  home  to  come 
over  here  and  keep  house  for  Uncle  Butler  till 
I  learn  how,  and  it  isn't  even  a  little  bit  fair  to 
keep  her  longer  than  necessary.  She  wants 
to  go  back  to  her  own  home  and  be  quiet  and 
happy  there.  She's  going  to  teach  me  the 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     57 

ways  of  plantation  housekeeping,  and  then  I'm 
going  to  do  it  for  Uncle  Butler.  You  see  I 
know  all  about  scrubbing  and  sweeping  and 
bed-making  and  cookery, —  I  learned  that  in 
the  convent  —  but  I  don't  know  how  to  issue 
rations  to  the  field  hands,  or  —  well  a  lot  of 
little  things,  and  Aunt  Mary  is  going  to  teach 
me.  When  I  learn,  she  is  going  back  home 
and  I  am  going  to  be  Uncle  Butler's  house- 
keeper. You  know,  Mr.  Phil,  that  his  house 
has  been  horribly  kept,  for  years.  Until  Aunt 
Mary  came  over  to  receive  me,  there  hadn't 
been  a  bed  aired  for  months  and  years.  The 
floors  have  been  polished  right  over  the  dirt 
till  they  are  black  where  they  ought  to  be 
white.  There  are  sixteen  negro  women  who 
are  supposed  to  be  housemaids  in  this  estab- 
lishment, and  you  don't  know  what  fun  I'm 
going  to  have  as  soon  as  I  come  into  control, 
by  making  them  work  for  the  luxurious  living 
they  get.  I'm  going  to  have  every  floor 
scrubbed  to  its  uttermost  corners.  I'm  going 
to  have  every  bed  pulled  to  pieces  and  taken 
out  of  doors  to  be  cleaned  and  aired.  I'm  go- 
ing to  have  every  piece  of  furniture  gone  over 


58      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

thoroughly,  every  curtain  taken  down  and 
dusted.  Oh,  I'm  hungry  for  the  fray  and  it 
will  be  a  great  frolic.  I  must  first  be  mistress 
and  in  order  to  be  that  I  must  learn  how  to 
'  give  out '  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  but  that 
oughtn't  to  take  long  for  a  girl  of  common 
sense,  do  you  think  ?  Anyhow  our  housekeep- 
ing work  belongs  to  the  morning,  so  I  can  ride 
over  to  your  plantation  with  you  in  the  after- 
noon. How  far  is  it  ?  " 

"  About  three  miles.  I  wish  the  road  out 
were  no  longer." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why,  we  can  ride  the  three  miles  in  less 
than  half  an  hour.  I  wish  I  might  dispose  of 
the  whole  thing  in  ten  times  as  long  a  period." 

"  But  why  can't  you?  Why  can't  you  just 
give  up  the  inheritance  ?  " 

"  That  sounds  easy,  Val ;  but  think  of  it. 
My  dear  old  great  aunt  owned  this  little  place 
and  the  negroes  on  it.  She  had  a  double  pur- 
pose in  willing  both  to  me.  She  had  a  desire 
that  I  should  come  back  to  Virginia  and  be- 
come a  planter, —  for  she  didn't  have  much 
respect  for  any  other  land  or  any  other  peo- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     59 

pie, —  and  she  had  a  tenderly  sentimental 
desire  that  the  negroes  who  had  been  her  serv- 
ants all  their  lives  should  have  a  good  mas- 
ter. If  I  refuse  the  inheritance  the  negroes 
must  be  sent  to  the  auction  block  and  sold  off 
south  for  whatever  they  will  bring,  by  way 
of  paying  off  the  debt  of  three  thousand  dol- 
lars that  encumbers  the  estate.  You  see  how 
it  is.  I  must  accept  the  bequest.  I  must  pay 
off  the  debt,  and  I  must  see  to  it  that  the  ne- 
groes have  enough  to  eat  as  long  as  they  live, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  do  not  earn  it 
So  far  as  the  financial  part  of  the  matter  is 
concerned,  I  am  fortunately  able  to  take  care 
of  it.  I  own  a  controlling  interest  in  a  good 
many  big  steamboats  and  a  good  many  little 
ones  that  are  doing  a  profitable  business  in 
various  parts  of  the  western  waters. 

"The  thing  that  bothers  me  is  not  that. 
These  negroes  are  blindly  conservative.  They 
were  born  here  as  the  chattels  of  a  land  owner. 
All  their  lives  they  have  been  taught  that  they 
must  look  to  the  land  for  their  support.  When 
the  land  can't  support  them  its  owner  must, 
and  I  am  unfortunately  the  owner.  They 


60      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

claim  the  right  to  live  upon  the  land  on  which 
they  were  born,  and  I  confess  that  I  feel  bound 
to  recognize  that  right.  It  would  be  cheaper 
for  me  to  board  them  all  in  good  hotels  in 
Richmond,  but  they  do  not  wish  to  go  to  Rich- 
mond. My  only  course  is  to  maintain  them 
where  they  are,  and  to  devise  such  means  as 
I  can  to  make  their  own  labor  contribute  some- 
thing to  their  support." 

The  girl  sat  silent  for  a  time.  Then  she 
went  away  to  join  Aunt  Mary  in  the  morn- 
ing's work  of  "  giving  out."  It  was  not  un- 
til she  and  Phil  Shenstone  mounted  their 
horses  after  "  snack,"  that  she  returned  to  the 
subject.  As  they  neared  an  outer  gate  she 
suddenly  turned  her  mare  about  and  faced  her 
escort  with  sad,  half-teary  eyes. 

"  You  have  many  burdens  that  do  not  be- 
long to  you.  Am  I  one  of  them?  Am  I  also 
a  tax  upon  your  generosity,  a  person  for 
whom  you  are  called  upon  to  provide  because 
she  is  unable  to  earn  her  own  living?  Be- 
cause if  I  am  that,  I  — " 

"  You  are  nothing  of  the  kind,  Val,"  he 
answered  with  the  utmost  tenderness;  "and 


SHE  SUDDENLY  TURNED  HER  MARE  ABOUT  AND  FACED 

ESCORT.  —  Page  60. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     61 

if  you  were,  I  should  rejoice  in  the  privilege 
of  caring  for  you.  Let  me  tell  you.  Your 
father  was  a  man  considerably  older  than  I 
am,  but  he  was  the  best  friend  I  ever  had  on 
earth,  and  when  he  lay  dying  his  one  concern, 
the  only  thing  he  thought  about,  was  your  wel- 
fare. He  asked  me  with  his  dying  breath  to 
care  for  you,  and  he  told  me  what  dangers  be- 
set you.  I  gladly  promised  him  and  I  would 
fulfill  that  promise  if  it  cost  me  my  life.  In 
fact  it  costs  me  exactly  nothing.  Your  father 
placed  in  my  hands  a  sufficient  sum  of  money 
to  cover  all  and  more  than  all,  the  expense 
you  can  ever  be  to  me.  I  don't  like  to  talk 
of  that.  It  is  too  painful,  but  you  must  know 
that  you  are  a  burden  to  nobody,  financially." 

The  two  rode  on  in  silence  for  a  time  after 
the  girl  had  said  a  simple,  "  Thank  you !  " 

After  a  while  she  asked :  "  Are  you  free 
to  tell  me  why  I  am  posing  under  an  assumed 
name?  " 

"  You  are  not,"  he  answered.  "  Your 
father's  name  was  Page.  You  were  called 
Lee  in  the  convent  because  other  people,  peo- 
ple who  wanted  to  hide  you,  chose  to  call  you 


62     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

so.  They  were  bad  people  and  their  purpose 
was  evil.  Be  satisfied  with  knowing  that  as 
Valorie  Page,  you  bear  an  honorable  name 
your  father  bequeathed  to  you." 

"  Will  you  some  day  tell  me  about  my 
father  ?  "  she  asked  again,  as  tears  slipped  out 
between  her  eyelids  and.  fell  upon  her  cheeks. 

"  Yes,  some  day.  Not  now.  Your  father 
was  a  hero." 

"You  say  that?" 

"  Yes,  Val.     I  say  it." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Phil." 


IX 

WHEN  Phil  Shenstone  and  Valorie 
returned  to  Woodlands,  they  found 
the  drive  filled  with  carriages,  the 
horse  racks  occupied  with  hitchings,  and  the 
great  flower-bordered  porch  peopled  with  men 
and  women,  who  had  come  to  call  upon  the 
new  arrivals.  Phil  Shenstone  knew  the  open- 
minded  way  in  which  every  Virginian  re- 
garded his  own  and  other  people's  affairs,  and 
foreseeing  that  awkward  questions  would  be 
quite  innocently  asked  of  Valorie,  he  hurriedly 
said  to  her,  as  they  approached  the  porch : 

"  Take  my  arm  and  keep  it.  Stick  close  to 
me.  I'll  do  the  talking." 

The  caution  came  none  too  soon,  for  the 
first  of  the  Virginia  dames  to  whom  the  girl 
was  presented,  bristled  with  questions  which 
she  had  no  thought  of  making  impertinent. 
Her  only  purpose  was  the  friendly  one  of 
63 


64     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

opening  a  way  for  the  girl  to  connect  herself 
with  distinguished  families  in  Virginia.  The 
gentlewoman  did  not  dream  that  there  might 
be  distinguished  families  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  lying  outside  Virginia. 

"  Welcome,  you  dear  girl !  "  the  dame  be- 
gan. "  You  are  a  Page  and  as  such  —  but  are 
you  of  the  Carter- Page  family  of  the  Shenan- 
doah  Valley  —  the  Cookes  and  Powells  and 
the  rest,  or  of  the  lower  James  River  Pages  ?  " 

Phil  Shenstone  replied: 

"  All  the  Virginia  Pages  are  akin,  you  know. 
Miss  Valorie  Page  has  been  educated  at  so 
great  a  distance  that  she  is  hardly  yet  a  mis- 
tress of  our  state  geography  or  of  her  varying 
kinships.  Permit  me  to  say  she  is  worthy 
of  them  all." 

By  that  time  half  a  dozen  others  were  press- 
ing forward,  and  so,  as  Phil  Shenstone,  in  his 
pilot-slang,  reflected :  "  That  riffle  is  passed." 

In  the  same  adroit  way  he  fenced  off  all 
other  questioners.  The  Virginians  of  that 
time  abhorred  nothing  so  much  as  gossip- 
mongering,  and  they  held  in  special  detesta- 
tion the  "  Yankee  habit "  of  asking  personal 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     65 

questions.  Yet  there  never  were  people  who 
could  ask  so  many  personal  questions  as  they. 
They  did  it  in  no  spirit  of  impertinent  curios- 
ity, but  merely  to  give  the  guest  an  oppor- 
tunity to  "  orient "  himself,  as  the  French  say. 
They  assumed,  in  every  case,  that  the  guest 
was  a  person  of  some  consequence,  if  only 
he  had  an  opportunity  to  explain,  and  so,  with 
utterly  kindly  purpose,  they  asked  those  ques- 
tions which  would  give  him  the  opportunity  he 
was  supposed  to  covet. 

Phil  Shenstone  had  been  a  pilot,  accus- 
tomed to  navigate  complexly  difficult  waters, 
and  he  adroitly  managed  to  steer  Valorie 
through  the  shoals  and  quicksands  of  her  first 
social  questioning. 

Colonel  Shenstone  lent  mighty  aid.  It  was 
only  June  and  watermelons  were  not  due  to 
be  ripe  until  July,  but  Colonel  Shenstone  had 
always  been  a  lover  of  good  things  to  eat,  and 
he  had  always  labored  to  have  them  early.  It 
was  his  habit,  therefore,  to  plant  his  earliest 
watermelons  under  glass  and  in  a  warm  soil. 
It  was  his  glory  upon  this  occasion  to  have 
his  servants  surprise  the  company  by  walking 


66      TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

into  the  porch  with  a  dozen  great,  fat  water- 
melons upon  their  shoulders,  ripe  a  full  month 
before  anybody  else  thought  of  having  such 
fruit  in  readiness  for  eating. 

This  was  a  diversion  and  Phil  welcomed  it. 
The  talk  thereafter  was  not  of  James  River 
or  Shenandoah  Valley  Pages,  but  of  Colonel 
Shenstone's  remarkable  success  in  gardening 
for  early  results.  It  was  admiringly  reported 
that  he  had  served  tomatoes  on  the  tenth  of 
June,  though  the  Fourth  of  July  was  accounted 
early;  that  he  had  sent  cucumbers  to  his 
friends  as  early  as  the  middle  of  May,  and 
above  all  that  he  had  distributed  pecks  of 
new  peas  to  the  plantations  round  about,  on 
the  twenty-fifth  of  April. 

All  these  were  matters  of  far  greater  conse- 
quence than  the  relationships  of  the  young 
gentlewoman  who  had  come  to  dwell  at 
Woodlands,  the  more  especially  because  the 
interest  of  the  visiting  gentlewomen  in  those 
relationships  was  purely  polite  and  perfunc- 
tory. 

But  to  Valorie  the  matter  presented  itself  in 
a  more  alarming  aspect.  She  knew  so  little 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     67 

about  herself  that  she  dreaded  a  renewal  of 
the  questioning  and  she  foresaw  that  renewal 
as  inevitable.  For,  a  week  or  two  after  this, 
Colonel  Shenstone  announced  that  he  had  in- 
vited guests  to  dinner  on  the  following  Thurs- 
day, by  way  of  welcome  to  Phil  and  Valorie, 
"  and,"  he  added,  "  to  serve  as  Valerie's  for- 
mal bringing  out.  My  sister  Mary  is  home- 
sick for  her  honeysuckles  and  four  o'clocks 
and  pretty-by-nights,  and  she  declares  that 
Valorie  is  fully  competent  to  run  the  house- 
hold. So  Mary  is  going  home  to-morrow,  and 
my  Little  Minx  is  to  preside  at  the  dining  day." 

"  I've  been  studying  your  big  dictionary, 
Uncle  Butler,"  said  Valorie,  shaking  a  ringer 
at  him. 

"  And  what  did  you  learn  there  ?  " 

"  That  'minx  '  means  '  a  saucy  girl/  and  so 
whenever  you  call  me  "  Little  Minx,'  it's  the 
same  as  calling  me  '  you  saucy  little  girl.' " 

"Well,  I  didn't  make  the  dictionary,  did  I? 
Some  Yankee  did  that,  who  didn't  know  that 
I  mean  just  the  opposite  of  what  he  says  I 
mean.  I  wonder  why  I  bought  that  diction- 
ary anyhow.  Oh,  I  know.  When  Phil  was 


68     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

a  boy  here  at  Woodlands  he  complained  that 
he  hadn't  any  dictionary  except  his  Latin  one 
and  his  Greek  one  and  his  classical  one  and 
the  old  Johnson- Walker  that  spelled  the  words 
wrong.  So  I  bought  this  to  appease  his  ab- 
normal craving  for  information.  You  see  he 
was  ambitious  in  those  days  and  meant  to 
make  a  scholar  of  himself.  You  didn't  do 
that  after  all,  did  you  Phil  ?  " 

"  No.  But  I  may  do  it  yet,"  he  answered 
with  a  note  of  melancholy  in  his  tone;  "  or  at 
any  rate  I  may  decide  to  do  what  I  can  by 
way  of  repairing  deficiencies.  I  don't  know, 
I  haven't  yet  made  up  my  mind.  But  about 
the  dining  day;  you  needn't  have  any  fear,  Val. 
You'll  be  too  busy  with  your  duties  as  hostess 
for  them  to  question  you  much,  and  if  any- 
body asks  you  a  question  that  you  don't  know 
how  to  answer,  you  can  suddenly  discover  that 
somebody  else  needs  attention  at  the  moment, 
and  before  you've  done  with  that  the  question 
will  have  been  forgotten.  If  worse  comes  to 
worst,  just  say  you  don't  know,  that  you  were 
educated  in  a  convent  in  the  far  South  and 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    69 

were  never  taught  concerning  matters  of  per- 
sonal history." 

"  No  subterfuges  will  be  necessary,"  broke 
in  Colonel  Shenstone,  removing  his  long,  reed- 
stemmed,  Powhatan  pipe  from  his  mouth  for 
a  moment.  "  I  shall  announce  on  that  occa- 
sion that  Valorie  Page  is  my  adopted  daugh- 
ter, the  destined  inheritor  of  Woodlands,  and 
I  don't  imagine  anybody  will  think  it  neces- 
sary or  prudent  to  inquire  further  than  that. 
There  are  ultimates  in  our  Virginia  society, 
and  I  have  a  strong  conviction  that  the  en- 
dorsement of  Butler  Shenstone  is  one  of  those 
ultimates.  Anyhow,  Little  Minx  —  confound 
the  dictionary !  —  you  need  have  no  uneasi- 
ness. My  ears  are  quick,  even  if  I  don't  see 
very  well,  and  if  anybody  asks  you  trouble- 
some questions,  I'll  create  a  diversion  as  we 
military  men  used  to  say." 

"But,  Uncle  Butler—"  began  the  girl  in 
fresh  alarm. 

"But,  Little  Minx,  you  needn't  finish  your 
sentence.  I  know  what  you  would  say.  Let 
me  assure  you  that  my  regard  for  truth  is  as 


70     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

great  as  your  own.  So  when  I  tell  everybody, 
as  I  shall,  that  you  are  my  adopted  daughter 
and  the  heir  to  Woodlands,  I  shall  speak  the 
exact  truth.  I've  decided  to  cut  Phil  off  with 
a  shilling,  which  in  Virginia  means  sixteen 
and  two  thirds  cents,  because  he  has  enough 
without  Woodlands,  and  because  he  has  been 
growling  for  weeks  past  over  the  fact  that  an 
affectionate  relative  has  made  him  heir  to  a 
plantation  and  negroes.  He  shall  never  have 
that  cause  of  complaint  against  me  after  I'm 
gone." 

"  Thank  you,  Uncle,"  said  Phil.  "  I  heart- 
ily agree  with  your  plans,  and  I've  already  de- 
cided what  I'm  going  to  do  with  that  shilling. 
I  certainly  don't  want  Woodlands  on  my 
shoulders.  Give  it  to  Val,  by  all  means." 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  that,"  said  the 
old  man.  "  If  I  find  I  can  legally  adopt  her, 
after  a  talk  with  you,  Phil,  I'll  do  that.  If  I 
can't,  I'll  make  a  new  will,  giving  Woodlands 
to  her.  Anyhow,  Little  Minx,  you've  made  a 
nest  for  yourself  in  my  old  man's  heart,  and 
you  are  henceforth  my  daughter." 

As  he  said  this  he  stepped  over  the  portal 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     71 

as  if  about  to  enter  the  house,  but  turning 
said : 

"  It  used  to  be  that  a  cup  of  properly  made 
coffee  was  ready  for  me  when  I  shaved  in  the 
morning  before  going  out;  it  used  to  be  that 
a  cheery  smile  greeted  me  at  the  breakfast 
table :  it  used  to  be  that  some  one  I  cared  for, 
some  one  I  loved',  liked  to  go  with  me  to  the 
stables  and  get  her  feet  wet  with  dew.  Many 
loving  things  used  to  be.  But  that  was  years 
and  years  ago  —  until  within  these  last  few 
weeks,  since  Little  Minx  became  mine.  Now 
it  has  all  come  back." 

He  moved  as  if  to  pass  on  into  the  hall  way 
but  Valorie  alertly  confronted  him  and  held  up 
her  face  saying: 

"  Uncle,  I'm  glad  if  I  have  made  you  more 
comfortable  —  no,  that  isn't  what  I  mean  or 
what  you  mean.  I'm  glad  if  I've  brought  a 
little  love  and  sunshine  into  your  lonely  life. 
But  as  to  the  rest  of  it,  don't!  Give  Wood- 
lands to  Mr.  Phil,  please.' 

"  Now  you're  making  yourself  a  little  minx 
in  the  dictionary  sense,"  he  said,  tenderly  ca- 
ressing her ;  "  and  I  won't  have  that.  You 


72     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

may  love  me  all  you  like,  but  you  mustn't  in- 
terfere with  such  business  arrangements  as  I 
choose  to  make.  I  like  to  think  of  you  as  my 
Little  Minx,  in  my  sense  of  the  words,  but  not 
in  the  dictionary  sense.  I  wish  I  had  burned 
that  dictionary  long  ago." 

"  Never  mind  that,  Uncle  Butler.  I'll  be 
your  Little  Minx  in  your  sense,  and  I'll  do  all 
I  can,  as  long  as  I  live,  to  bring  love  and  ten- 
derness into  your  life." 

She  broke  into  tears  and  fled  to  the  inner 
precincts.  The  old  man, —  long  widowed  and 
bravely  enduring  the  loss  of  love  that  had 
fallen  upon  him  years  ago  when  the  wife  of  his 
youth  was  taken  away  while  he  was  yet  young, 
—  shed  some  drops  on  his  own  account,  which 
he  angrily  brushed  away  as  he  placed  "  eight- 
een pence "  into  the  hand  of  Jim,  the  head 
dining  room  servant,  saying: 

"  Jim,  the  fishing's  good,  now  that  the  dog- 
wood is  in  blossom.  Maybe  your  Miss  Valorie 
can  spare  you  for  a  day  off  presently.  Here's 
a  quarter.  Buy  some  fish  lines." 


X 


VALORIE  was  much  troubled  by  the 
things  suggested  in  the  unfinished 
conversation  —  most  conversations 
are  unfinished  —  between  herself,  Colonel 
Shenstone  and  Phil.  She  felt  herself  an  in- 
truder, and  she  was  bent  upon  securing  some 
revision  of  the  decisions  arrived  at  by  those 
who  had  her  fortunes  and  her  life  in  charge. 
But  she  had  heavy  burdens  of  domestic  respon- 
sibility upon  her,  so  that  for  some  days  after- 
wards there  was  no  leisure  in  which  to  seek  a 
renewal  of  the  conference.  Aunt  Mary  had 
gone  home  and  the  conduct  of  the  household 
rested  upon  the  young  girl's  shoulders.  First 
of  all  there  was  Colonel  Shenstone's  early 
morning  cup  of  coffee  to  prepare  with  her  own 
hands  in  order  that  its  aroma  might  be  alto- 
gether right,  and,  more  important  still,  as  her 
quick  feminine  perceptions  taught  her,  there 
73 


74     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

was  the  duty  of  drinking  it  with  him  every 
morning,  without  hurry  and  in  a  spirit  of  af- 
fectionate comradery. 

Then  she  had  the  task  of  renovating  the 
long-neglected  house  and  repairing  the  conse- 
quences of  the  negro  neglect  of  years.  This 
was  the  more  difficult  for  the  reason  that  she 
was  determined  to  have  it  done  only  at  such 
times  and  in  such  ways  as  should  in  no  wise 
disturb  Colonel  Shenstone  in  the  routine  of  his 
life,  but  she  adroitly  managed  that.  Fortu- 
nately the  long-neglected  house  servants  made 
no  resistance,  active  or  passive,  to  her  ex- 
ercise of  authority.  They  were  quick  to  un- 
derstand that  she  enjoyed  both  the  confidence 
and  the  affection  of  their  master,  and  they 
knew  that  any  hesitation  or  reluctance  in 
obedience  to  her  orders,  if  the  fact  should 
come  to  his  knowledge,  would  be  the  full 
equivalent  of  open  defiance  of  him.  Not  one 
of  them  knew  from  experience  what  dire  con- 
sequences would  follow  defiance  of  him,  for 
that  was  an  extreme  of  mutiny  upon  which 
nobody  had  ever  dared  venture;  but  whatever 
curiosity  they  may  have  felt  upon  that  subject 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     75 

was  content  to  satisfy  itself  with  conjecture 
and  without  experiment.  Moreover  the  girl 
had  a  certain  comradely  way  with  her,  which 
quickly  won  the  servants  to  a  willing  obedi- 
ence. However  exigent  she  might  be  as  to 
thoroughness  of  work,  she  never  gave  her 
orders  harshly,  or  with  the  smallest  suggestion 
that  she  anticipated  disobedience  even  as  a  pos- 
sibility. From  the  first  the  servitors  liked  and 
admired  her,  and  very  soon,  in  their  simple- 
minded  way,  they  began  to  love  her  and  to  do 
her  will  more  than  willingly.  Where  they 
failed  by  reason  of  unskilfulness,  she  set  to 
work  to  teach  them  skill  and,  in  their  homely 
way  they  commented  upon  the  fact:  "  'Stid 
o'  scoldin'  she  shows  us,"  they  saidu  Where 
they  failed  through  habitual  negligence,  she 
laughed  at  them  until,  joining  in  the  laugh, 
they  bestirred  themselves  to  betterment. 
Where  their  carelessness  was  due  simply  to  a 
lack  of  understanding,  she  preached  to  them, 
in  her  pleasant  way,  a  new  gospel  of  cleanli- 
ness and  thoroughness  and  neatness,  and  she 
succeeded  in  converting  them. 

A  very  few  of  the  younger  ones  learned  un- 


76     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

willingly,  and  upon  these  she  brought  author- 
ity to  bear.  She  selected  the  most  recalci- 
trant one  to  serve  as  an  example.  To  her  one 
day,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  rest,  she  said : 

"  Sally,  you  don't  seem  to  like  your  work 
in  the  house.  Perhaps  you'd  like  me  to  ask 
your  master  to  release  you  from  it  and  send 
you  to  the  fields." 

There  was  no  threat  made  —  only  a  sug- 
gestion of  preference  —  but  Sally  understood. 
Between  field  negroes  and  house  servants 
there  was  a  great  gulf  fixed.  The  house  serv- 
ants constituted  an  aristocracy  as  definite  and 
as  well  recognized  as  that  of  a  group  of  duch- 
esses and  marchionesses  is  to  the  wives  of 
English  tradespeople.  To  fall  from  the  po- 
sition of  housemaid  or  chambermaid  or  lady's 
maid  on  a  great  plantation  to  that  of  a  helper 
in  the  fields,  was  the  full  equivalent  of  the 
lapse  of  a  countess  to  the  counter  of  a  shop. 

Colonel  Shenstone  happened  to  overhear  this 
passage  between  Valorie  and  Sally,  and  for 
comment  he  said: 

"She'll  do!" 

When  the  dining  day  came,   Valorie  had 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     77 

everything  in  readiness  for  it,  and  Colonel 
Shenstone,  whose  dignity  was  that  of  a  long 
range  gun,  was  on  guard.  To  such  of  the 
guests  as  had  already  met  Valorie  he  said : 

"  I  think  you  already  know  my  daughter," 
and  he  said  it  with  an  emphasis  upon  the  last 
two  words  that  was  easily  understood.  To 
those  who  were  new  acquaintances  of  hers  he 
was  at  pains  to  say : 

"  Let  me  introduce  you  to  my  daughter, 
Miss  Valorie  Page,  who  is  mistress  of  Wood- 
lands, and  your  hostess." 

When  at  dinner  a  young  gentleman  —  em- 
barrassed perhaps  because  another  young 
gentleman  sat  next  his  sweetheart  —  bungled 
a  little  in  the  carving  of  a  fowl,  to  the  detri- 
ment of  the  table  linen,  he  asked  pardon  of 
Colonel  Shenstone.  The  gallant  old  gentle- 
man was  prompt  to  reply: 

"  My  daughter,  Miss  Valorie  Page,  will  ex- 
cuse you,  I  am  sure.  I  have  found  her  very 
indulgent  to  our  masculine  mistakes.  Valorie, 
Mr.  Meade  asks  your  forgiveness  for  a  slight 
mishap." 

"  No  apology  is  needed,  I  am  sure,"  said 


78     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Valorie,  graciously.  "  I  only  wonder  at  the 
skill  the  young  gentlemen  of  Virginia  show  in 
carving.  Mr.  Meade,  you  may  help  me  to  a 
bit  of  the  breast  if  you  please." 

"  She'll  do,"  said  Colonel  Shenstone  under 
his  breath,  but  audibly  enough  for  Phil  to 
hear  and  rejoice  in  the  verdict. 

When,  at  the  end  of  the  dessert,  the  sherry 
was  brought  on  and  all  glasses  filled,  Colonel 
Shenstone,  instead  of  proposing  the  usual 
toast  of  dismissal  to  "  The  ladies,"  rose  in  his 
place  and  said :  "  My  friends,  I  ask  you  to 
drink  standing,  a  glass  of  wine  in  welcome  to 
the  new  mistress  of  Woodlands,  my  daughter, 
Miss  Valorie  Page." 

Then  with  stately  courtesy  he  advanced  to 
the  door,  bowing,  and  held  it  open  while  the 
gentlewomen  passed  through.  One  of  them, 
Edna  Spottswood,  who  had  evidently  over-1 
heard  the  old  gentleman's  comment  upon 
Valorie,  leaned  toward  him  as  she  passed  and 
said  in  his  ear: 

"  You'll  do,  Colonel  Shenstone." 

Edna  was  one  of  the  three  or  four  young 
women  who,  after  the  old  Virginia  custom, 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     79 

remained  for  a  few  days  as  guests  at  Wood- 
lands, and  that  night,  when  she  and  some 
others  were  having  their  hair  combed  by  the 
maids,  she  suddenly  ejaculated,  apropos  of 
nothing  in  particular : 

"  Why  don't  the  young  gentlemen  form 
themselves  upon  the  model  of  Colonel  Shen- 
stone  and  men  like  him  ?  " 

"  He  is  very  gallant,"  answered  another. 

"  That  isn't  what  I  mean,"  said  Edna.  "  It 
is  more  than  mere  gallantry,  more  than  man- 
ners. He  is  always  so  thoughtful,  so  kindly, 
so  considerate  of  others,  so  delicately  sensitive 
to  every  need  that  any  one  may  feel  —  pshaw ! 
I  can't  say  it." 

"  I  can,"  said  Valorie,  "  he's  a  gentleman." 

"  That's  it !  "  said  the  rest  in  chorus. 


XI 


AS  the  weeks  went  on,  Phil  Shenstone 
manifested  none  of  the  impatience  he 
had  at  first  felt  to  get  back  to  his  busi- 
ness in  the  West.  There  were  several  rea- 
sons for  this.  The  fascination  of  the  old  Vir- 
ginia life,  in  which  his  boyhood  had  been 
passed  had  taken  a  strong  hold  upon  him 
again  for  one  thing.  Its  utter  restfulness  was 
soothing  to  his  spirits  after  an  arduous  career 
of  constant  and  strenuous  endeavor.  For  an- 
other, he  still  had  on  his  hands  the  unsolved 
problem  of  how  best  to  care  for  the  seventeen 
negroes  who  had  been  left  to  him  as  an  inher- 
itance, and  who  were  helpless  under  existing 
conditions,  to  make  a  living  for  themselves. 
They  had  a  garden  growing  now,  and  that 
would  help  to  feed  them,  but  the  help  was  a 
small  one,  and  but  for  his  daily  superintend- 
ence even  the  garden  would  have  come  to 
naught. 

80 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     81 

Then  again  he  had  begun  reading  the  fine 
old  English  literature  on  the  shelves  of  the 
Woodlands  library;  his  old  scholarly  instincts 
had  strongly  revived  in  him,  so  much  so  in- 
deed, that  after  reading  Pope's  Homer  and 
Dryden's  Virgil  again,  he  had  got  down  his 
Greek  and  Latin  dictionaries,  and,  with  the 
aid  of  some  old  grammars  of  those  languages, 
had  fallen  into  the  habit  of  lying  on  the  green- 
sward under  the  trees  in  the  Woodlands'  house 
grounds,  and  trying  to  dig  out  translations 
of  his  own  for  the  great  masterpieces  of 
classic  literature.  To  his  gratified  astonish- 
ment his  Latin  and  Greek  not  only  came  back 
to  him,  but  came  back  with  a  quickness  and 
fulness  of  perception  which  had  never  been 
his  in  his  student  days.  His  matured  mind 
easily  grasped  things  which  his  unformed  stu- 
dent mind  had  not  grasped  at  all,  and  he  was 
strongly  tempted  to  undertake  again,  and  with 
greater  interest,  the  tasks  of  education  and 
culture  which  circumstances  had  compelled  him 
to  drop  nearly  a  decade  before. 

Finally,  there  was  Valorie.  When  by  his 
command  she  had  been  put  into  skirts  suitably 


82     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

long  for  her  age,  she  had  seemed  suddenly  to 
change  from  an  awkward  child  into  a  graceful 
young  woman,  and  since  she  had  assumed  the 
dignity  and  responsibility  of  mistress  at  Wood- 
lands, her  ripening  into  a  self-possessed  young 
womanhood  had  been  almost  astonishingly 
rapid.  It  had  brought  with  it  no  particle  of 
loss  of  that  simplicity  and  childlike  honesty  of 
character  which  had  seemed  to  him  so  charm- 
ing on  his  first  acquaintance  with  her,  but  it  had 
added  the  charms  of  dignity  and  a  self-posses- 
sion altogether  pleasing.  As  a  school  girl,  de- 
pendent upon  unknown  persons  for  her  very 
bread  and  butter,  and  subject  in  every  hour  and 
minute  of  her  life  to  the  arbitrary  control  of 
those  in  authority  over  her,  her  manner  had 
been  marked  by  the  timid,  shrinking,  half-cow- 
ardly self-consciousness  of  a  child  who  has  no 
rights  and  is  uncertain  of  her  privileges.  As 
the  Mistress  of  Woodlands,  assured  of  her  per- 
sonal independence,  honored  with  Colonel 
Shenstone's  affection,  and  exercising  the  func- 
tions of  a  hostess  whose  hospitality  was  sought 
on  every  hand,  she  had  rapidly  ripened  into  a 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     83 

young  woman,  very  young  still  but  very  dig- 
nified and  old  enough  to  hold  her  own. 

Without  quite  admitting  it,  and  perhaps  half 
unconsciously,  Phil  Shenstone  had  come  to  feel 
that  his  interest  in  Valorie  was  an  additional 
inducement  for  him  to  prolong  his  stay  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  directing  her  reading  for  one 
thing.  He  was  riding  with  her  a  good  deal, 
for  another,  and  for  still  another,  Edna  Spotts- 
wood  had  become  deeply  interested  in  Valorie, 
and  Phil  liked  to  visit  Edna,  and  talk  with  her 
regarding  his  ward. 

Finally,  Phil  rejoiced  in  good  music,  and 
Valorie  knew  how  to  produce  such.  Early  in 
her  life  at  Woodlands  she  went  to  the  long-dis- 
used piano  and  began  to  play,  while  Colonel 
Shenstone  stood  by  to  listen  and  to  turn  the 
music  for  her.  After  a  few  bars  she  suddenly 
broke  off  and  asked : 

"  Uncle  Butler,  is  there  a  monkey  wrench  on 
the  plantation  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Little  Minx,"  he  answered,  "  a  dozen 
of  them.  But  what  use  have  you  for  a  mon- 
key wrench  ?  " 


84     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  I  want  to  tune  the  piano.  It  is  horribly 
out  of  tune." 

"  But  can  you  tune  it  ?  Where  did  you 
learn  that  art?" 

"  In  the  convent.  The  music  master  taught 
all  of  us  to  do  it.  He  said  truly  that  nobody 
was  a  musician  till  she  could  tune  her  instru- 
ment without  a  tuning  fork.  You  see,  Uncle 
Butler,  you  must  be  able  to  recognize  a  note  — 
A  for  instance  —  by  your  own  ear  and  with- 
out a  guide,  before  you  are  really  fit  to  play 
for  company.  That  is  why  he  wouldn't  let 
most  of  the  girls  play  for  company  at  all.  He 
said  bad  playing  was  greatly  worse  than  no 
playing.  Indeed  he  used  to  shock  the  Sisters 
by  swearing  dreadfully  about  it.  So  I  had  to 
learn  to  tune  all  the  instruments  I  played  — 
the  piano,  the  harp,  the  — " 

"  Do  you  play  the  harp?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course.  It's  so  simple  you  know. 
But  I  play  pretty  much  everything.  They 
educated  me  for  —  well,  that  way." 

"  So,"  said  the  old  man  meditatively. 
"  And  here  you've  been  thinking  of  playing  on 
an  old  piano  that  has  been  practically  unused 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     85 

for  twenty  years  or  more.  I'll  not  let  you 
have  a  monkey  wrench,  Little  Minx." 

With  that  he  quitted  the  parlor,  and  Valorie 
wondered  what  she  had  done  to  offend  him. 
A  few  days  later  there  came  to  Woodlands  a 
grand  piano  of  celebrated  make,  a  harp  and  a 
great  goods  box  full  of  sheet  music. 

It  was  Colonel  Shenstone's  way  to  order 
things  wholesale. 

There  were  still  other  reasons  why  Phil 
Shenstone  should  indulge  his  desire  to  remain 
in  Virginia  for  a  time,  as  he  explained  to  Va- 
lorie during  one  of  their  horseback  rides  to- 
gether. Something  he  said  to  her  in  the 
course  of  their  talk  on  that  occasion,  or  some 
quite  innocent  and  unimpertinent  question  from 
the  young  woman,  betrayed  him  into  an  auto- 
biographical mood,  and  he  told  her  the  story 
of  himself. 

"  My  father  was  Uncle  Butler's  brother, 
you  know,"  he  said,  "  though  he  was  many 
years  younger.  When  my  grandfather  died 
Woodlands  plantation  was  divided  between 
the  two,  and  when  my  father  married  he  built 
a  new  house  on  his  half  of  it.  You've  seen 


86     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

the  blackened  foundations  of  it  over  by  the  old 
water  mill,  for  it  was  burned  many  years  ago. 
I  was  born  there  and  lived  there  until  I  was 
thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old,  though  both  by 
night  and  by  day,  after  I  ceased  to  be  a  baby, 
I  was  as  often  at  Woodlands  house  as  at  the 
new  place. 

"  My  father  was  a  man  of  high  culture  and 
was  the  best  teacher  I  ever  had.;  but  he  was 
utterly  unfit  for  the  care  of  his  own  estate, 
partly  because  of  his  studious  habits,  but  more 
because  of  his  too  great  generosity  and  his  ex- 
cessive confidence  in  the  integrity  of  his  fellow- 
men.  He  was  always  ready  —  much  too 
ready  indeed  —  to  help  anyone  needing  his 
help.  I  do  not  know  the  details,  but  I  know 
that  when  I  was  in  my  fourteenth  year,  my 
father  found  his  fortune  gone  and  himself  in 
danger  of  falling  into  insolvency.  He  decided 
to  go  to  Indiana,  where  he  had  a  considerable 
undeveloped  landed  property.  Uncle  Butler 
of  course  stood  ready  to  help  him  in  every 
way.  He  took  up  the  mortgages  on  my  fa- 
ther's plantation,  paid  off  most  of  the  debts 
and  himself  assumed  the  rest.  In  return  my 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA      87 

father  transferred  his  land  and  negroes  to  his 
brother,  and  Woodlands  became  again  a  single 
great  plantation,  with  a  single  owner  and  mas- 
ter. I  know  now,  though  I  knew  nothing 
about  it  then,  that  Uncle  Butler's  payments  on 
my  father's  account  amounted  to  more  than 
my  father's  share  of  the  property  was  worth. 

"  We  went  West,  and  my  father  died  there 
within  a  few  months.  Uncle  Butler  begged 
my  mother  to  come  and  live  at  Woodlands,  tell- 
ing her  that  as  I  was  to  be  his  heir  and  the 
next  owner  of  the  estate,  her  maintenance 
would  be  merely  an  anticipation  of  so  much 
of  my  inheritance,  and  that  she  would  really 
be  beholden  to  nobody  but  me. 

"  My  mother  was  a  sensitively  proud  woman, 
and  while  she  would  not  have  been  ashamed, 
with  such  an  understanding,  to  accept  Uncle 
Butler's  hospitality,  she  felt  that  she  could 
not  as  a  dependent,  face  the  people  round 
about,  among  whom  she  had  always  been  a 
person  of  consequence. 

"  Refusing  the  offer,  therefore,  she  took  a 
school  and  for  a  year  or  two  made  a  meagre 
living  out  of  it.  Then  she  married  again. 


88     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Her  second  husband  had  three  daughters 
of  his  own  by  a  former  marriage,  and  they  all 
came  to  live  with  us.  He  was  a  man  of  large 
ability,  but  of  a  domineering  temper.  He  de- 
veloped the  unimproved  lands  which  my  fa- 
ther had  left  to  my  mother  and  soon  made 
them  profitable.  I  had  no  share  in  all  this  as 
the  lands  had  been  willed  to  my  mother,  but 
my  stepfather,  who  was  not  an  ungenerous 
man  in  his  way,  so  far  recognized  a  moral 
claim  upon  my  part,  that  he  sent  me  to  Asbury 
University  at  Greencastle.  I  had  already,  dur- 
ing my  mother's  widowhood,  gone  through  an 
excellent  school,  and  although  I  was  not  yet 
sixteen  years  old,  I  was  fully  prepared  to 
enter  college. 

"  I  remained  a  student  there  for  two  years, 
passing  my  vacations  with  my  mother  at  our 
home  in  a  little  Ohio  river  city.  At  these 
times  I  discovered  that  my  mother  was  very 
unhappy,  and  after  awhile  I  discovered  the 
cause;  my  stepsisters  were  annoying  her  in 
every  way  they  could,  humiliating  her,  and 
even  openly  insulting  her  when  my  stepfather 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     89 

was  away  from  home,  as  he  was,  most  of  the 
time,  because  of  his  business. 

"  I  could  not  fight  girls,  of  course,  but  on  my 
stepfather's  return  one  day,  I  laid  a  complaint 
of  them  before  him  and,  perhaps  in  a  less  re- 
spectful tone  than  I  ought  to  have  used,  de- 
manded that  he  should  protect  my  mother. 
He  flew  into  a  passion  and  we  had  a  quarrel. 
In  the  course  of  it  he  said  to  me :  '  If  you 
say  another  word,  I'll  use  the  rod  upon  you.' 
I  looked  him  in  the  eyes  and  answered :  '  If 
you  attempt  to  do  that  I  will  kill  you,'  and  he 
saw  that  I  meant  what  I  had  said. 

"  He  left  the  room  without  another  word, 
and  went  to  my  mother,  who  was  an  invalid. 
After  they  had  been  in  conference  for  an  hour 
he  went  away  and  my  mother  sent  for  me. 
She  told  me  that  my  stepfather  had  decided  to 
withdraw  me  from  college  and  set  me  to  work. 
I  suggested  that  while  he  might  refuse  to 
maintain  me  in  college  he  was  not  my  master, 
and  that  I  would  choose  my  own  work.  Then 
she  told  me  something  I  had  never  known  be- 
fore. He  had  had  himself  appointed  my 


90     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

guardian,  so  that  until  I  should  reach  the  age 
of  twenty-one  his  authority  over  me  would  be 
as  absolute  as  if  he  had  been  my  father.  I 
answered : 

"  '  Advise  him  not  to  attempt  to  exercise  his 
authority.  It  will  be  best  for  him  and  for  all 
concerned.' 

"  Then  I  tenderly  caressed  my  mother  and 
left  the  room.  I  had  my  father's  watch  — 
mine  now  —  which  had  cost  him  many  hun- 
dreds of  dollars  in  England,  and  was  worth 
many  hundreds  still.  I  went  at  once  to  a  jew- 
eler, who  knew  that  notable  repeater's  value, 
and  offered  it  to  him  for  a  hundred  dollars. 
He  had  been  my  father's  friend,  and  he  was  a 
man  of  generous  mind.  He  replied  that  he 
would  not  rob  me  by  taking  the  watch  at  the 
price  mentioned.  He  would  give  me  two  hun- 
dred, and,  he  added :  '  It  is  worth  greatly 
more  than  that,  but  it  isn't  an  easy  thing  to 
sell.  I'll  hold  it  a  year  for  you.  If  within 
that  time  you  wish  to  pay  me  back  the  money 
with  ten  per  cent,  interest,  you  shall  have  the 
heirloom.'  " 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     91 

"  That's  the  watch  you  are  carrying  now  ?  " 
half  asked  and  half  declared  the  girl. 

"  Yes.  I  redeemed  it.  Never  mind  about 
that  now.  I  went  back  to  the  house  and 
packed  my  small  belongings.  That  evening  I 
boarded  the  steamer  General  Pike,  bound  from 
Cincinnati  to  New  Orleans. 

"  The  first  clerk  on  board  of  her  was  an  old 
schoolmate  of  my  own.  He  had  no  salaried 
place  open  to  me,  but  he  made  me  what  they 
call  'mud  clerk/  which,  in  return  for  much 
hard  work,  gave  me  my  passage  and  my  board, 
together  with  a  chance  to  do  better  after 
a  while.  I  soon  saw  some  small  chances,  I 
learned  that  the  deck  passengers,  of  whom 
there  were  multitudes  in  those  days,  must  feed 
themselves,  and  that  in  their  improvidence 
most  of  them  brought  utterly  inadequate  sup- 
plies for  their  voyage.  I  purchased  consid- 
erable food  stuff  at  Louisville,  and  when  the 
deck  passengers  began  to  run  short,  I  fed 
them  at  a  profit  so  large  that  when  we  reached 
New  Orleans  my  capital  was  increased  by  fifty 
per  cent.  On  the  way  up  the  river  I  bought 


92     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

small  lots  of  sugar  and  molasses  at  the  land- 
ings, the  products  of  the  smaller  plantations 
whose  owners  preferred  a  cash  sale  to  the  ship- 
ment of  their  very  small  lots.  By  the  time 
that  two  or  three  trips  had  been  made,  I  had 
added  several  hundred  dollars  to  my  funds, 
and  I  began  to  look  about  me  for  a  chance  of 
betterment.  I  didn't  want  to  remain  either  a 
clerk  or  a  speculator.  One  day  in  New  Or- 
leans I  met  Norman  Page,  your  father.  He 
was  a  dandy  pilot,  on  the  dandiest  steam- 
boat of  that  time,  which,  with  him  at  the  wheel, 
had  broken  all  records  for  speed.  He  was  a 
Virginian  and  so  was  I,  and  we  speedily  be- 
came friends.  He  took  me  as  his  '  cub ' — 
that  is  to  say,  his  pupil  —  and  taught  me  the 
river.  By  the  time  I  had  learned  it  thoroughly 
—  for  he  would  tolerate  nothing  short  of  per- 
fection in  me  —  I  had  attained  the  age  re- 
quired by  law,  and  I  secured  my  license. 
Then  he  took  me  for  his  partner,  and  I  too  be- 
came a  dandy  pilot,  always  perfectly  dressed, 
always  a  man  of  leisure,  when  in  port,  and  al- 
ways, under  the  law,  an  autocrat  when  on 
board.  For  you  know  the  pilot  is  by  law 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     93 

made  sole  judge  of  what  and  when  and  how 
much  a  boat  may  do  in  navigation.  If  he  de- 
cides that  it  is  unsafe  to  run  and  ties  the  boat 
up  to  the  bank,  even  the  captain  cannot  over- 
rule him.  His  judgment  is  final;  his  au- 
thority is  absolute. 

"  About  the  time  when  I  became  a  cub  pilot 
my  mother  died.  It  was  a  fortnight  after  the 
funeral  when  the  news  reached  me  in  a  letter 
from  an  old  schoolmate,  for  my  stepfather  had 
not  notified  me.  About  the  same  time  came  a 
letter  from  Uncle  Butler  urging  me  to  come 
to  him  and  complete  my  education  at  his  ex- 
pense, but,  feeling  that  he  had  already  sacri- 
ficed much  to  my  father,  I  declined  to  add  to 
the  obligation,  and  continued  my  endeavors  to 
make  my  own  way  in  the  world. 

"  After  I  became  a  full-fledged  pilot  the  way 
was  easy  enough.  A  pilot  receives  a  salary  of 
four  hundred  dollars  a  month.  A  pilot  al- 
ways dresses  well, —  better  than  any  body  else, 
better  even  than  captains  and  steamboat  own- 
ers do ;  but  he  has  no  other  necessary  expenses. 
He  has  his  board  and  lodging  free,  whether  in 
port  or  on  the  river.  As  I  had  no  bad  habits, 


94     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

no  habits  of  any  kind  indeed  that  cost  me  any- 
thing, I  was  able  to  save  all  my  salary  except 
what  I  spent  to  keep  myself  perfectly  dressed. 
Even  in  port  I  spent  nothing,  because  I  cared 
for  nothing  there.  I  very  rarely  attended  the 
theatre  or  opera.  I  spent  my  time  on  board, 
reading. 

"  As  my  money  began  accumulating  I  in- 
vested it  in  steamboat  property,  and  as  I  knew 
all  the  ins  and  outs  of  river  traffic,  my  invest- 
ments were  enormously  profitable.  On  one  oc- 
casion, for  example,  I  took  advantage  of  high 
water,  bought  a  little  dinky  steamboat  for  five 
thousand  dollars,  sent  her  up  the  Tallahatchie, 
where  there  hadn't  been  a  steamboat  for  a  year 
before,  and  where  the  banks  were  covered 
mountain  high  with  cotton  bales  that  had 
waited  months  for  a  market.  Within  three 
months  that  little  boat  earned  a  clear  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  in  freight  money  for  me,  and  I 
sold  her  for  nearly  as  much  as  she  had  cost 
me. 

"  I'm  telling  you  all  this  by  way  of  explain- 
ing myself.  Let  me  shorten  the  story  by  say- 
ing that  I  am  now  a  very  large  owner  of 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     95 

steamboat  property.  I  have  as  much  money 
as  any  reasonable  man  ought  to  want,  and  as 
I  have  such  men  as  Budd  Doble,  Tom  Leath- 
ers, John  Cannon,  Captain  Bell  and  the  like 
for  my  partners,  my  investments  will  go  on 
making  money  for  me  wherever  I  may  be. 
So  I  am  free  to  linger  here  in  Virginia  as  long 
as  I  like.  How  long  that  will  be,  I  do  not 
know.  It  all  depends." 

He  did  not  say  upon  what  it  depended. 


XII 

AS  the  months  passed  by,  the  affec- 
tion between  Colonel  Shenstone  and 
Valorie  —  the  hale  old  gentleman  and 
the  fresh-hearted  young  girl  —  grew  steadily 
tenderer.  If  she  had  been  his  daughter  in  fact, 
instead  of  his  adopted  daughter,  his  care  of 
her  could  not  have  been  more  chivalrous  or 
more  loving,  nor  could  her  affection  for  him 
have  been  greater  than  it  was.  If  they  had 
been  a  boy  and  a  girl,  brother  and  sister,  twins, 
their  comradery  could  not  have  been  closer  or 
more  constant.  If  Valorie  had  been  a  duch- 
ess or  the  most  dignified  lady  in  the  land, 
Colonel  Shenstone's  courtesy  to  her  could  not 
have  been  more  scrupulous.  When  she  en- 
tered a  room  he  rose  and  brought  her  a  chair 
—  never  the  one  in  which  he  had  been  sitting, 
but  another,  so  that  in  accepting  it  she  need 
have  no  feeling  that  she  was  disturbing  him. 
96 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     97 

If  she  were  called  out  of  the  room  he  rose  and 
held  the  door  open  for  her.  If  the  glow  of 
the  fire  —  for  the  frosts  of  autumn  had  come 
—  seemed  too  strong  for  her,  he  was  the  first 
to  discover  it  and  to  place  a  face  screen  for  her 
protection.  At  table  she,  as  the  lady  of  the 
house,  was  the  first  to  be  helped,  under  the 
rule  to  which  all  old  Virginians  owed  al- 
legiance, that  no  matter  what  guests  might  be 
present,  the  gentlewoman  who  presided  over 
the  household  was  entitled  to  precedence  over 
all  others. 

Manners  among  the  younger  generation, 
were  less  formal  than  they  had  been  in  his 
youth,  less  observant  of  the  nicer  courtesies  of 
life.  Colonel  Shenstone  regarded  this  as  a 
mark  of  degeneracy,  as  indeed  it  was,  and  he 
would  tolerate  nothing  of  the  kind  in  the  treat- 
ment accorded  to  Valorie  by  young  men  visit- 
ing his  house.  One  such  ventured  one  day  to 
address  her  as  "  Miss  Val,"  whereupon  the 
Colonel  arose  and  with  stately  dignity  said : 

"  Permit  me,  sir,  to  present  you  to  my 
daughter,  Miss  Page." 

The  rebuke  had  its  effect 


98     TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

The  old  gentleman's  own  behavior  toward 
her  was  equally  circumspect.  His  intimacy 
was  far  greater,  of  course,  than  he  permitted 
to  any  one  else,  and  he  continued  to  call  her  — 
in  private  —  by  the  pet  name  he  had  given  to 
her,  "  Little  Minx,"  but  never  once  did  he 
permit  himself  to  address  her  in  that  way  in 
the  presence  of  persons  outside  the  household. 
Never  did  he  light  his  pipe  in  her  presence 
without  asking  her  permission.  Never  for  one 
moment  did  he  forget  the  deference  that  he 
held  to  be  her  right  by  virtue  of  her  woman- 
hood first  and  also  because  she  was  the  mis- 
tress of  Woodlands. 

At  first  all  this  unwonted  consideration 
frightened  the  girl  somewhat,  for  she  had  al- 
ways thitherto  been  taught  to  think  of  herself 
as  a  chit  of  a  child,  subject  to  continual  gov- 
ernance, and  possessed  of  no  claim  to  consid- 
eration of  any  kind.  But  the  new  conditions 
did  not  spoil  her  in  the  least.  They  acted  as 
the  sunshine  in  a  garden  does  upon  a  flowering 
plant  recently  released  from  a  pot-bound  state 
and  transplanted  into  a  wholesome  soil  with 
free  access  to  the  sun  and  rain.  All  the  be- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     99 

numbing  effects  of  restraint  and  repression 
passed  away.  The  morbid  self-consciousness 
of  her  former  hampered  condition  was  re- 
placed by  a  wholesome  consciousness  of  her 
womanhood,  a  proper  sense  of  her  dignity,  and 
an  inspiring  recognition  of  her  right  to  con- 
sideration. 

Phil  Shenstone  observed  with  astonishment 
the  rapidity  of  her  development  from  awk- 
ward childhood  into  a  complacent  if  unasser- 
tive womanhood,  and  he  observed  with  delight 
that  nothing  of  value  in  her  character  was  lost 
in  the  process.  All  her  sweet  sincerity  of 
soul  remained.  All  her  enthusiasms  survived, 
even  the  childlikeness  of  her  spirit  was  in  no 
way  impaired  by  the  elimination  of  the  child- 
ishness. Observing  her  closely  at  this  time, 
he  decided  that  she  was  destined  to  become  the 
most  perfect  type  of  admirable  womanhood  he 
had  ever  known.  He  lacked  the  self-knowl- 
edge necessary  to  perceive  that  in  his  eyes 
this  was  not  a  matter  of  destiny  but  of  pres- 
ent fact  —  that  she  was  already  quite  all  that 
he  thought  her  destined  to  become. 

In  her  new  capacity  as  mistress  of  the  great- 


ioo  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

est  plantation  home  in  that  part  of  Virginia, 
Valorie  speedily  grasped  and  understood  con- 
ditions. She  quickly  caught  the  methods  of 
the  time  and  country,  and,  applying  them  she 
wrought  a  revolution  in  the  old  mansion.  For 
twenty  years  past  there  had  been  no  social  life 
there,  because  for  twenty  years  past  there  had 
been  no  gentlewoman  in  charge.  On  her  first 
attendance  at  church  Valorie  had  observed 
that  every  young  woman  invited  every  other 
young  woman  to  go  home  with  her  to  spend 
the  ensuing  week,  and  that  those  young  women 
who  secured  the  most  desirable  guests  in  this 
way  were  sure  to  have  as  visitors  during  the 
week,  the  most  as  well  as  the  most  desirable 
young  gentlemen. 

On  her  first  attendance  at  church  Valorie 
had  invited  nobody,  because  she  had  not  yet 
realized  her  position  or  the  duties  and  privi- 
leges appertaining  to  it.  When  she  under- 
stood, and  after  Colonel  Shenstone  had  re- 
minded her  of  her  duties  as  the  hostess  of  a 
great  plantation,  she  issued  her  invitations 
right  and  left,  and  carried  away  with  her  a 
group  of  young  gentlewomen  whose  presence 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    101 

at  Woodlands  insured  a  liberal  supply  of  young 
men  visitors,  some  of  whom  passed  nights 
there,  others  only  the  days,  but  all  of  whom 
came  unannounced  and  without  special  invita- 
tion, taking  the  hospitality  of  the  house  so 
much  for  granted  that  often  half  a  dozen  un- 
announced guests  would  ride  up,  only  half  an 
hour  before  the  four  o'clock  dinner  time. 
Some  of  these  would  remain  over  night  or 
even  for  two  or  three  days,  taking  their  wel- 
come for  granted,  as  they  were  fully  war- 
ranted in  doing  by  the  custom  of  the  coun- 
try. Sometimes  they  would  ride  up  just 
in  time  for  supper,  and  always  there  were 
places  and  a  welcome  for  them. 

In  brief,  under  Valerie's  administration,  and 
to  Colonel  Shenstone's  delight,  the  life  of  the 
old  mansion  —  suspended  for  a  score  of  years 
—  was  re-established. 

Valerie's  musical  education  had  been  some- 
thing far  superior  to  anything  known  in  that 
region,  and  it  constituted  a  peculiar  attraction. 
She  played  divinely  upon  the  piano,  the  harp, 
the  violin,  the  guitar  and  the  then  little  known 
Spanish  instrument,  the  mandolin.  She  even 


102   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

played  upon  the  dulcimer,  a  queer  instrument, 
wholly  unknown  in  that  region  until  then. 
Colonel  Shenstone  had  learned  that  fact  by  ac- 
cident, and  had  straightway  sent  to  Germany 
for  a  dulcimer,  just  as  he  had  ordered  a  new 
carriage  built  for  her  and  a  pair  of  young 
horses  broken  to  draw  it. 

When  the  new  carriage  came,  he  ordered  the 
old  one  deposited  in  what  he  called  "  the  mu- 
seum," and  invited  his  "  Little  Minx  "  to  go 
with  him  thither  to  inspect  the  curiosities. 
These  consisted  of  fifteen  or  twenty  vehicles  of 
antique  and  long  abandoned  patterns,  mostly 
cumbersome  and  all  curious  in  the  elaboration 
of  their  decayed  elegance. 

"  Here,"  he  said  to  her,  "  is  our  patent  of 
Virginia  nobility.  In  this  building  are  stored 
all  the  plantation  carriages  that  have  carried 
the  great  dames  and  lovely  damsels  of  the 
Shenstone  family,  since  it  was  first  established 
in  Virginia  in  1635.  The  earliest  were 
brought  from  England  during  the  first  century 
and  a  half  of  the  family's  dominance  —  pardon 
me,  I  meant  to  say  establishment  —  here.  The 
rest  were  built  in  America,  but  all  of  them 


HEBE  is  OUR  PATENT  OF  VIRGINIA  NOBILITY.  "  —  Page  102. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    103 

were  used  by  the  women  of  our  ancient  fam- 
ily and  all  of  them  are  redolent  of  memories 
that  it  is  worth  while  to  cherish  as  an  in- 
heritance —  memories  of  gentlewomen  who,  as 
maids,  wives  and  mothers,  did  their  duty 
bravely,  dignifiedly  and  with  full  appreciation 
of  the  privilege  of  duty  doing.  The  carriage 
we  are  adding  to  the  collection  to-day  was 
bought  for  my  wife  when  she  was  my  bride. 
It  is  sadly  out  of  date  now,  as  I  am,  but  it  is 
fragrant  with  memories  of  as  noble  a  woman 
as  ever  bore  our  family  name.  The  new  car- 
riage in  which  you  will  drive  to  church  to- 
morrow, will  be  placed  in  the  museum  when 
it  shall  have  grown  antiquated.  It  will  be 
reminiscent  of  my  Little  Minx.  I  trust  there 
will  be  those  living  at  that  time  who  will  justly 
value  it  on  that  account." 

Colonel  Shenstone  was  a  sentimentalist  as 
every  man  is  who  is  worthy  to  live  among  his 
fellowmen.  It  is  the  sentimentalist  alone  who 
keeps  life  sweet  and  lifts  it  above  the  level  of  a 
quarry  worked  by  slaves  under  the  lash  of 
necessity.  It  is  sentiment  that  prompts  us  to 
all  courtesy  in  life.  It  is  sentiment  that  makes 


104   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

the  child  love  and  the  grown  man  revere  his 
mother.  It  is  sentiment  that  makes  us  tender 
in  our  treatment  of  children,  courteous  and 
protective  in  our  relations  with  women,  honest 
and  fair  in  our  dealings  with  men.  In  brief,  it 
is  sentiment  and  sentiment  alone,  that  lifts  us 
above  the  level  of  the  brute  beasts  and  makes 
of  this  world  of  ours  something  better  than  a 
pig  stye.  Sentiment  represents  the  domi- 
nance of  the  moral  and  intellectual  side  of  our 
nature  over  our  brute  passions,  the  conquest  of 
mere  appetite  by  our  higher  nature,  the  reign 
of  the  spiritual  over  the  grossly  animal  part  of 
human  nature.  The  man  who  declaims 
against  sentiment  and  scorns  romance,  is  a 
man  to  be  feared  and  avoided,  a  man  who 
would  rob  the  sunset  of  its  glory,  wash  the 
green  out  of  the  grass  and  the  foliage,  and 
strip  the  gold  from  fields  of  ripening  grain,  if 
there  were  profit  in  the  process. 

If  we  would  preserve  to  human  existence 
that  which  makes  it  worthier  than  the  presence 
of  the  clods  under  our  feet,  we  must  set  our 
faces  resolutely  against  that  materialism,  that 
utilitarianism  that  discovers  merit  only  in  gain 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    105 

and  that  would  banish  all  high  ideals  from  our 
lives  on  the  ground  that  they  do  not  "  pay." 

Sentiment  is  the  father  of  all  heroism,  the 
nursing  mother  of  all  self-sacrifice.  It  is  the 
inspiration  of  philanthropy,  the  impulsive  force 
of  justice,  the  creator  of  all  kindliness  —  the 
one  redeeming  quality  that  prompts  an  om- 
niscient God  to  let  men  live  at  all. 


XIII 

DURING  all  this  time  Valerie  had  been 
pursuing  her  studies  in  several  diverse 
directions.  Under  tutelage  of  Edna 
Spottswood,  several  years  older  than  herself, 
who  was  a  Virginia  housewife  to  the  manner 
born,  and  who  was  Valorie's  intimate,  she  was 
learning  all  the  intricacies  of  domestic  science 
which  are  now  taught  in  college  "  courses," 
and  learning  them  much  more  thoroughly  and 
above  all  much  more  practically  than  any  col- 
lege course  can  teach  them.  In  return  she  was 
teaching  Edna  all  the  mysteries  of  fine  needle- 
work that  she  had  learned  in  the  convent.  She 
was  also  improving  Edna's  French,  and  teach- 
ing her  more  of  music  than  the  governess- 
trained  Virginia  girl  had  ever  imagined  to  ex- 
ist. 

But  chief  among  her  own  studies,  Valorie 
was  exploring  English  literature,  under  Phil 
106 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    107 

Shenstone's  guidance.  She  had  said  to  him 
one  day: 

"  Mr.  Phil,  I  am  painfully  ignorant.  These 
Virginia  girls  make  me  ashamed,  with  their 
knowledge  of  Byron,  Shakespeare,  Dickens, 
Wordsworth  and  a  lot  more  whose  names  I 
can't  recall.  You  see,  in  the  convent  we  read 
the  Lives  of  the  Saints,  and  the  Imitation  of 
Christ,  and  a  book  about  chivalry,  and  that  was 
about  all.  Won't  you  tell  me  what  to  read  ?  " 

Thereupon  Phil  had  undertaken  her  instruc- 
tion in  that  department  of  learning,  and  under 
his  guidance  she  had  utilized  all  her  spare 
hours  in  reading  the  classics  of  our  language. 

Incidentally  it  may  be  recorded  that  Phil 
Shenstone  had  mightily  enjoyed  the  exercise 
of  his  function  as  tutor.  Perhaps  that  was 
because  Valorie  was  an  unusually  quick  and 
bright-minded  pupil,  who  learned  rapidly. 
Perhaps  it  was  because  her  questionings  of  him 
revealed  a  peculiarly  tender  and  sympathetic 
nature.  Perhaps  it  was  because  her  interest  in 
what  she  read  was  charmingly  insatiable.  Per- 
haps it  was  because  of  many  other  things. 

Perhaps  it  was  because  Phil  Shenstone  had 


io8   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

fallen  in  love  with  Valorie  Page  without  him- 
self knowing  the  fact. 

Putting  all  "  perhapses  "  aside,  the  fact  was 
apparent  that  by  diligent  reading,  Valorie 
rapidly  improved  her  mind,  enlarged  her 
views,  and  equipped  herself  for  the  social  life 
she  was  leading  in  which  an  acquaintance 
with  literature  was  a  matter  of  course.  Wisely 
enough,  Phil  set  her  to  read  Motley  and  Pres- 
cott  and  Macaulay,  as  well  as  the  novelists, 
adding  Thiers's  French  Revolution,  Grote's 
History  of  Greece,  Buckle's  History  of  Civili- 
zation, the  first  volume  of  which  had  just  ap- 
peared, and  a  number  of  other  such  books  by 
way  of  giving  her  a  groundwork  of  historical 
knowledge  upon  which  to  stand  while  study- 
ing life  in  the  presentment  of  fiction. 

But  Valerie's  thirst  for  knowledge  did  not 
confine  itself  to  books  by  any  means.  She 
even  more  determinedly  studied  everything  that 
might  in  any  degree  equip  her  for  her  duties 
as  mistress  of  Woodlands.  When  the  Decem- 
ber cold  came  and  Colonel  Shenstone  planned 
the  annual  hog-killing,  she  entreated  him  to 
postpone  it  for  three  or  four  days,  giving  no 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    109 

reason,  and  he,  asking  no  reason  but  "  just  to 
please  my  Little  Minx,"  did  so.  Thereupon 
Valorie  drove  daily  over  to  Mattapony, —  the 
Spottswood  plantation,  —  where  she  knew 
that  hog-killing  was  already  in  progress,  and 
besought  Edna,  with  the  aid  of  her  servants, 
to  teach  her  all  there  was  to  know  about  the 
preparation  of  hams,  shoulders  and  middlings 
for  the  smoke  house,  the  sousing  of  pigs'  feet, 
ears  and  noses,  the  making  of  brawn,  the  care 
of  livers,  hearts  and  kidneys,  the  making  of 
sausage,  the  preparation  of  chidlings,  the  ren- 
dering of  lard  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  espe- 
cially the  making  of  pigs'  foot  jelly,  a  dainty 
of  which  Colonel  Shenstone  was  particu- 
larly fond.  After  three  successive  days  of 
diligent  study  she  announced  her  readiness  for 
hog-killing  at  Woodlands,  and  when  she 
served  to  Colonel  Shenstone  a  glass  of  jelly 
with  thick  cream  and  he  found  it  perfect  for 
the  first  time  in  twenty  years,  her  rejoicing  was 
great. 

Socially  Valorie  was  altogether  successful. 
The  young  women  of  the  community  were 
drawn  to  her  by  her  transparent  simplicity,  by 


no  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

her  impulse  of  modest  self-effacement,  by  her 
utter  unpretentiousness  when,  they  realized, 
as  mistress  of  Woodlands  and  heiress  to  that 
great  estate,  she  might  easily  have  been  par- 
doned much  of  arrogant  presumption.  But 
chiefly  it  was  her  sweetness  and  wholesome- 
ness  of  character  that  attracted  them.  She 
was  the  sort  of  girl  who  must  be  loved  or 
hated,  and  the  young  women  round  about 
found  it  far  easier  to  love  than  to  hate  her. 

Then,  too,  the  elderly  women  thoroughly 
approved  her.  She  had  a  certain  deferential 
way  of  treating  them, —  learned  in  the  convent 
perhaps, —  which  made  her  presence  alto- 
gether pleasing  to  them. 

As  for  the  middle-aged  men,  those  of  them 
who  had  sons  urgently  advised  them  to  make 
the  most  of  their  opportunities  with  Valorie 
Page,  and  the  young  men  did  so  with  an 
eagerness  that  rejuvenated  Woodlands  house 
and  made  it  seem  to  Colonel  Shenstone  what  it 
had  been  in  his  own  youth  when  his  sister  was 
the  belle  of  that  region. 

The  young  men  were  jealous  of  each  other, 
of  course,  but  the  bitterness  of  their  jealousy 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    in 

was  reserved  for  Colonel  Shenstone.  When- 
ever they  proposed  a  ride  or  a  game  or  what- 
ever else,  Valorie  would  make  her  consent 
dependent  upon  Colonel  Shenstone's  need  of 
her,  attention  or  her  company.  If  in  the  midst 
of  a  madcap  frolic  on  the  lawn,  she  saw  him 
come  out  into  the  porch,  she  would  instantly 
leave  all  the  rest  to  their  own  devices  and  go  to 
him.  In  winter,  if  he  grew  weary  of  the 
music  or  the  dancing  or  whatever  else  there 
might  be  going  on  in  the  parlor,  and  sought 
to  slip  away  to  "  the  chamber,"  which  was  the 
family  sitting  room  in  every  old  Virginia  man- 
sion, Valorie  would  call  some  other  girl  to  the 
piano,  suggest  something  that  was  sure  to  en- 
tertain the  company,  and  then  quietly  slip  away 
"  to  smoke  with  Uncle  Butler,"  as  she  phrased 
it,  he  doing  the  smoking  while  she  sat  by  his 
side,  he  petting  her  and  rejoicing  in  the  de- 
votion of  his  "Little  Minx."  Her  affection 
for  him  was  limitless,  and  her  devotion  unre- 
strained by  any  other  consideration  whatever. 
She  thought  not  at  all  of  reward,  but  her 
reward  was  a  rich  one  when  she  understood 
that  she  was  bringing  a  measureless  happiness 


ii2  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

into  the  life  of  this  old  man,  who  had  for  so 
long  known  nothing  more  of  happiness  than 
is  implied  in  the  possession  of  abundance  and 
the  servile  ministrations  of  those  who  are 
bound  to  service. 

He  had  adopted  her  as  his  daughter,  in  fact, 
though  not  in  legal  form.  A  more  important 
fact  was  that  she  had  adopted  him  as  her 
father,  and  that  in  every  tender  way  imagi- 
nable, she  treated  him  as  such,  with  never  a  re- 
serve, never  a  stinting  of  affectionate  atten- 
tion. 

One  day  Phil  spoke  of  this  rejoicingly. 

"  If  you  never  did  anything  else  good  in 
all  your  life,  Val,"  he  said,  "  you  are  doing 
enough  to  make  an  angel  of  yourself,  in  bring- 
ing so  much  of  happiness  into  my  uncle's  de- 
clining years." 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said.  "  You  know  that 
is  all  I'm  living  for.  As  Byron  says,  '  The 
rest  is  leather  and  prunella.'  That  reminds 
me,  I  must  write  to  Hall,  the  shoeman,  to-day, 
or  I  shall  presently  be  barefoot.  But  Mr. 
Phil,  you  know  how  generously  good  to  me 
Uncle  Butler  is.  Shouldn't  I  be  a  very  bad 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    113 

girl  or  a  very  stupid  one  if  I  didn't  find  out 
how  to  make  him  happy  and  do  it  with  all 
my  might?  " 

Phil  looked  at  her  admiringly,  lovingly. 
Then  he  said : 

"  You  are  neither  bad  nor  stupid,  Val ;  and 
Uncle  Butler  is  by  no  means  the  only  person 
in  this  world  whom  you  are  rendering  happy. 
As  for  finding  out  how  to  do  that  —  you  need 
no  guidance.  Your  love  will  take  care  of 
that." 

Valorie  made  no  reply.  She  went  away  and 
thought  about  what  he  had  said.  Somehow 
the  words  meant  more  to  her  than  any  other 
words  she  had  ever  heard,  perhaps  because 
Phil  Shenstone's  approval  had  come  to  mean 
more  to  her  than  she  as  yet  knew. 


XIV 

AMONG  the  younger  men   who  were 
frequent  visitors  at  Woodlands,  was 
one  who  from  the  first  commanded 
Valorie's    admiration    and    sympathy.     This 
was  Dr.  Greg  Tazewell. 

He  owned  a  prosperous  plantation,  which 
he  conducted  successfully,  but  the  greater  part 
of  his  attention  was  given  to  his  practice  of 
medicine  on  the  plantations  round  about. 

He  had  called  upon  Phil,  on  his  return  to 
Virginia,  and  had  paid  his  respects  to  Valorie, 
dining  informally  at  Woodlands  on  several 
occasions,  and  during  the  autumn  visiting  the 
plantation  frequently  to  shoot  with  Phil.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  excellent  address,  modest, 
unassuming,  but  as  Valorie  began  early  to 
suspect,  intellectual  beyond  the  common.  He 
was  handsome  in  face  and  person,  blond,  curly- 
114 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    115 

haired,  and  abounding  in  healthy  animal  spir- 
its. His  bubbling  good  humor  was  so  con- 
stant indeed,  that  at  first  Valorie  failed  to 
recognize  the  deeper  things  in  his  nature. 

It  was  not  until  she  met  him  under  more 
trying  circumstances  that  she  began  to  under- 
stand what  stuff  he  was  made  of.  As  mistress 
of  the  plantation  it  was  Valorie's  function  to 
care  for  all  those  who  might  fall  ill,  and  late 
in  the  autumn  one  of  the  negro  women  was 
very  ill  indeed.  It  was  in  his  tireless  attend- 
ance upon  this  patient  that  Greg  Tazewell  un- 
consciously revealed  himself  at  his  best  to  the 
singularly  alert  perceptions  of  the  young 
woman. 

The  case  was  a  desperate  one,  and  he  met 
it  with  desperate  determination  and  with  all  of 
skill  he  could  command.  Night  after  night 
he  remained  in  the  negro  cabin,  engaged  in  a 
fight  for  a  human  life.  With  his  own  hands 
he  administered  experimental  treatments  that 
he  dared  not  leave  to  hands  less  skilled  than 
his.  Upon  rare  occasions  he  went  to  the  great 
house  for  a  meal;  usually,  however,  he  asked 
that  something  for  him  to  eat  might  be  sent 


n6  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

to  the  cabin,  he  feeling  that  he  must  not  leave 
his  patient  for  a  moment. 

The  crisis  came  at  night  and  Valorie  re- 
mained with  him  by  the  bedside  until  nearly 
morning.  As  she  looked  at  him  he  seemed  to 
her  very  weary,  but  not  for  one  moment  did 
he  relax  his  attention  to  his  patient.  For 
thrice  twenty-four  hours  he  had  had  no  sleep 
except  such  naps  as  he  caught  while  sitting 
upon  a  backless  stool  before  the  cabin  fire. 
On  this  night  of  crisis  he  had  not  closed  his 
eyes  at  all.  Indeed,  Valorie  reflected,  he  had 
not  even  sat  down  for  a  moment  throughout 
the  long  hours,  and  his  young  face  was  hag- 
gard as  she  saw  it  now  in  the  flickering  fire- 
light, in  itself  suggestive  of  that  going  out  of 
life  which  he  was  battling  to  prevent. 

At  last,  after  another  examination  of  the 
patient,  his  features  seemed  to  relax,  some- 
thing of  its  customary  joyousness  returned  to 
his  countenance,  and  quitting  the  bedside,  he 
threw  three  or  four  sticks  of  wood  upon  the 
long-neglected  fire.  Then  turning  to  Valorie 
he  said : 

"  You  had  better  go  to  the  house  and  to 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  117 

bed.     The   necessity   for   watching   is   over." 
"  Is  Jane  to  die  then,  after  all  ?  " 
"  No.     She  will  get  well.     Go  now  and  get 
some  rest.     Only  nursing  will  be  needed  and 
the  negro  women  can  attend  to  that,  if  you 
see  them  three  or  four  times  a  day.     Go.     I 
don't  want  you  for  a  patient." 

"  But  how  about  yourself,  doctor?  " 
"  Me  ?  Oh,  I  am  all  right.  I'm  tough, 
you  know.  I  must  remain  here  for  an  hour 
or  so  longer.  Then  I'll  go  to  the  house,  get 
Henry  to  bring  me  a  tub  of  cold  water,  and 
present  myself  at  breakfast  as  fresh  as  the 
morning.  But  you  must  go.  It  is  five 
o'clock.  You  must  get  several  hours'  sleep 
before  the  breakfast  hour." 

"Thank  you,  I'll  try,"  she  said.  Then 
looking  at  him  earnestly,  she  said : 

"  I  admire  heroes,  and  surely  you  are  one." 
"Oh,  no,  not  at  all.     Only  a  doctor.     I'll 
put  it  all  into  my  bill." 

The  flippancy  was  meant  as  a  parrying  of 
embarrassing  praise,  but  it  shocked  Valorie 
and  distressed  her.  Her  own  sympathy  with 
the  sick  woman  had  been  so  long  under  strain 


n8   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

that  release  from  it  brought  to  her  only  a 
chastened,  solemn,  thankful  rejoicing.  She 
knew  nothing  of  the  necessity  a  physician  is 
under  to  control  his  sympathies  as  he  must 
control  other  emotions,  reducing  all  of  them 
to  a  principle  rather  than  merely  a  feeling. 
Nor  did  she  recognize  Greg  Tazewell's  pur- 
pose in  this  instance,  which  was  to  relieve  her 
mind  by  his  own  lightness  of  manner  and 
speech,  and  to  assure  her  by  his  tone  that  his 
confident  prediction  of  his  patient's  recovery 
was  surely  destined  to  fulfillment. 

Her  admiration  of  him  was  great,  but  it  was 
tempered  just  now  by  disappointment. 

When  he  appeared  at  the  breakfast  table, 
announcing  that  after  an  hour's  sleep  he  had 
induced  Henry  to  pour  a  dozen  bucketsful  of 
frost-sharpened  water  over  his  person,  so  that 
he  felt  quite  young  again,  she  was  troubled 
with  the  thought  that  after  all,  his  devotion  to 
his  patient  had  been  born  solely  of  professional 
enthusiasm,  and  that  no  touch  of  genuine  hu- 
man sympathy  had  redeemed  it.  But  pres- 
ently, during  a  lull  in  the  table  talk,  he  turned 
to  her  with  all  the  earnestness  in  his  face  that 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    119 

she  had  seen  there  during  his  struggle  with 
the  malady  and  said : 

"  I've  seen  Jane  again.  I  went  there  just 
before  coming  to  breakfast.  She's  going  to 
get  well,  but  I  wish  you'd  detail  some  more 
sympathetic  person  than  Lizzie  to  act  as  her 
nurse.  Lizzie  is  impatient  with  her  and  a 
very  little  friction  might  set  her  recovery  back. 
I  wonder  if  Elsie  could  be  spared." 

As  he  made  this  appeal,  saying  more  with 
his  eyes  and  his  mobile  face  than  in  the  words 
he  uttered,  Valorie  felt  that  she  was  justified 
in  again  setting  him  upon  his  pedestal  as  a 
hero. 

Her  reply  was  prompt. 

"I'll  send  Elsie  to  stay  until  nightfall. 
After  that  I  shall  be  there  myself.  Elsie  is 
gentle  and  kindly,  but  at  night  she'd  go  to 
sleep.  I'll  watch  to-night  myself." 

"  Believe  me,  it  isn't  necessary,"  he  replied, 
"  and  you  are  already  — " 

"  I'm  young  and  strong,"  she  answered. 
"  I  do  not  want  the  scientific  results  you  have 
achieved  to  be  sacrificed  by  any  failure  of 
care." 


120   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

There  was  a  note  of  bitterness  in  her  tone. 
He  observed  it,  but  made  no  reply. 

When  breakfast  was  done  she  told  him  that 
a  messenger  had  come  for  him  from  a  distant 
plantation  and  was  waiting  to  speak  with  him. 
He  asked  that  the  messenger  might  be  brought 
to  him,  and  when  the  boy  come  he  asked : 

"Who  is  ill  at  the  Oaks?" 

"Uncle  Michael,  Mas'  Greg.  His  rheu- 
matiz  is  awful  bad.  He's  mos'  daid." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  the  doctor  going  to 
his  saddlebags  and  compounding  a  lotion. 
"  Have  him  rubbed  with  this,  and  keep  the 
rubbing  up  till  he  is  ready  to  go  to  sleep.  Tell 
your  master  I  could  do  nothing  more  for  him 
if  I  were  there,  and  tell  him  I  am  bound  to  re- 
main here  for  the  day.  If  Michael  grows 
worse  —  and  I  don't  think  he  will  —  tell  your 
master  he  will  have  to  send  for  another  phy- 
sician. I  simply  cannot  leave  here  till  night. 
A  life  might  depend  upon  my  presence.  Do 
you  understand  ?  " 

Satisfied  from  the  bewildered  look  in  the 
negro's  face  that  he  did  not  understand,  he 
said: 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    121 

"  Wait  a  minute.  I'll  send  a  note  to  your 
master." 

With  that  he  went  to  the  desk  that  stood  in 
the  hall  of  every  old  Virginia  house  for  the 
use  of  all  who  needed  to  write,  and  tried  to 
pen  a  missive.  Presently  he  turned  to  Phil 
Shenstone  and  besought  him  to  act  as  aman- 
uensis, saying: 

"  My  hand  is  too  unsteady  to  write." 

Phil  signaled  to  Valorie,  and  she  instantly 
seated  herself  at  the  desk  to  take  the  dictation. 
When  it  was  done  and  the  messenger  had 
gone,  she  turned  to  Tazewell  with  a  world  of 
tender  sympathy  in  her  look  and  said : 

"  If  we  are  not  to  have  another  patient  to 
care  for,  doctor,  you  must  go  to  bed.  Your 
room  is  ready  for  you,  and  I'll  see  to  it  that  all 
household  noises  are  suppressed.  I  will  even 
forbid  Uncle  Butler  and  Mr.  Phil  to  talk  at 
any  point  less  remote  than  the  stables.  But 
tell  me;  is  the  old  man  Michael  in  sore  need 
of  your  presence  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  no.  He  is  suffering  greatly,  I 
have  no  doubt.  But  I  could  do  nothing  more 
than  I  have  done  by  sending  him  the  lotion 


122  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

and  ordering  prolonged  massage.  He  is 
eighty  years  old,  he  says.  He  has  chronic 
rheumatism,  and  in  the  natural  course  of 
events  it  is  going  to  kill  him  presently.  I 
couldn't  prevent  that  if  I  were  present.  It 
isn't  like  Jane's  case  in  which  we  had  the 
strong  constitution  of  a  vigorous  young 
woman  to  build  upon.  Michael  is  ten  miles 
away,  and  I  simply  must  not  quit  this  planta- 
tion till  I  see  Jane  asleep  after  ten  o'clock  to- 
night." 

Seeing  a  queer  look  in  the  girl's  face,  and 
misinterpreting  it,  he  hastily  added : 

"  Oh,  she's  going  to  get  well,  you  may  rest 
assured.  But  for  this  first  day  of  her  recov- 
ery I  must  watch  her,  and  I  will.  I've  no 
notion  of  letting  all  we've  done  be  wasted." 

Again  Valorie  was  shocked  and  distressed. 
Again  she  misinterpreted  his  meaning  and 
misunderstood  the  spirit  in  which  he  had 
spoken.  It  seemed  to  her  that  he  had  no  care 
for  the  human  life  he  had  saved,  for  the 
woman  and  mother  whom  his  skill  and  tireless 
devotion  had  snatched  from  the  grasp  of  death 
and  was  presently  to  restore  to  her  brood  of 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    123 

little  children.  It  seemed  to  her  that  his  con- 
cern was  solely  for  the  results  his  science  had 
achieved,  with  no  touch  or  trace  of  tender  hu- 
man sympathy  and  compassion  in  it. 

Nevertheless  she  was  quick  to  recognize  his 
own  exhaustion  as  that  was  illustrated  by  his 
tremulous  inability  to  control  a  pen.  With 
full  faith  in  the  accepted  therapeutics  of  the 
time  and  country,  she  asked  him  if  she  should 
not  bring  him  a  dram. 

"  No,  my  dear  Miss  Page,"  he  answered. 
"  In  cases  of  actual  exhaustion  I  sometimes 
prescribe  alcoholic  stimulation.  But  I  never 
resort  to  it  as  a  means  of  steadying  shaken 
nerves  or  repairing  the  results  of  mere  fatigue. 
In  such  ways  alcohol  is  effective  for  the  mo- 
ment, but  in  the  end  it  is  what  Solomon  called 
wine  —  a  mocker.  My  nerves  are  shamefully 
unsettled,  but  that  is  only  because  for  the 
space  of  four  hours  last  night,  I  stood  facing 
death  and  fighting  it.  During  all  that  time  I 
had  reason  to  fear  we  should  lose  in  the  strug- 
gle and  that  in  spite  of  all  I  might  do,  that 
poor  woman  must  die.  Now  that  we  have 
won  the  game  and  I  am  freed  from  the  terrible 


124   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

apprehension,  there  is  a  very  natural  relaxa- 
tion and  my  nerves  have  given  way  under  it. 
I  need  only  to  sleep  a  little.  If  I  may,  I  will 
accept  your  invitation  and  go  to  my  room  for 
two  hours.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  please 
have  me  waked  without  fail.  Jane  will  take 
nourishment  then,  and  I  must  be  there  to  see 
it  administered  and  observe  the  results." 

Again  Valorie  misunderstood.  His  phrase 
about  observing  results  suggested  to  her  anew 
that  his  interest  in  Jane  was  neither  personal 
nor  human,  but  purely,  and  very  coldly  scien- 
tific. 

He  did  not  leave  Woodlands  until  the  next 
day, —  not  until  he  was  able  to  leave  Jane  in 
Elsie's  charge  in  full  assurance  that  her  con- 
valescence was  certain. 

As  he  was  leaving  he  seemed  to  seek  con- 
verse with  Valorie,  and  Phil,  who  was  warm- 
ing his  back  in  front  of  the  great  wood  fire 
in  the  hall,  suddenly  remembered  some  duty 
that  required  his  instant  withdrawal  from  the 
house.  These  were  two  gentlemen  of  Vir- 
ginia, neither  of  whom  would  think  of  stand- 
ing in  the  other's  way  in  the  slightest  partic- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  125 

ular.  When  he  had  gone,  young  Tazewell 
took  Valerie's  hand,  and  looking  into  her  eyes 
scrutinizingly,  said: 

"  I'm  afraid  you  don't  approve  of  me  ?  " 

She  returned  the  gaze  unflinchingly  and 
answered : 

"  I  do,  and  I  don't.  I  know  you  are  a 
hero,  but  sometimes  I  think  your  devotion  to 
science  makes  you  cold-blooded." 

He  looked  at  her  intently  for  a  moment. 
Then  he  said,  with  emphasis: 

"  Appearances  are  sometimes  deceptive,  but 
one  doesn't  know  himself  half  as  well  as  others 
know  him.  You  may  be  right.  Good-bye. 
I  shall  not  need  to  see  Jane  again.  Tell  Elsie 
to  carry  out  the  instructions  I  have  given  her. 
What  a  superb  morning  it  is!  I  think  I  shall 
ride  twenty  miles  or  so  just  to  enjoy  being 
alive.  Good  day." 

He  was  gone,  and  Valorie  wondered  if  she 
had  offended  him.  For  Valorie  was  only  a 
little  more  than  eighteen  years  old  and  she  was 
sensitive  as  regards  others. 

Besides  she  really  did  regard  Greg  Tazewell 
as  a  hero. 


XV 

PHIL  SHENSTONE  had  found  it  neces- 
sary to  prolong  his  stay  in  Virginia  in- 
definitely for  several  reasons.  For  one 
thing  his  letters  from  Louisiana  convinced  him 
that  there  was  serious  danger  impending  over 
Valerie's  head.  He  said  nothing  of  this 
either  to  Valorie  or  to  his  uncle,  but  to  Greg 
Tazewell  he  talked  of  it,  though  very  guard- 
edly, and  in  the  privacy  of  Tazewell's  bachelor 
home. 

"  I  want  you  to  know  certain  things,  Greg, 
that  may  arise  to  annoy  Valorie.  I  am  not 
going  to  tell  you  her  story  in  detail.  There 
are  reasons  why  I  should  not  do  that  —  as 
yet." 

"  I  can  well  believe  that,"  answered  the  doc- 
tor, "  and  of  course,  I  should  never  tolerate 
in  myself  anything  remotely  resembling  an 
impertinent  curiosity  concerning  the  personal 
126 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    127 

history  of  a  young  lady  whose  character  I 
esteem  so  highly.  You  and  I  both  stand 
ready  to  minister  in  every  possible  way 
to  the  welfare  of  a  young  lady  whom  we  both 
esteem.  I  am  ready  to  do  that  to  the  utmost 
limit  of  the  law,  and  as  far  beyond  that  limit 
as  may  be  necessary." 

"  I  know  all  that,  my  dear  fellow,"  answered 
Phil,  with  a  certain  touch  —  not  exactly  of 
melancholy,  but  of  resignation  —  in  his  tone. 
"  I  know  all  that  and  I  reckon  upon  it." 

"  Do  you  know,  Phil,  that  you  have  a  very 
bad  habit  of  interrupting?  I  was  going  on 
to  say,  that,  holding  this  attitude,  I  want  you 
to  tell  me  precisely  so  much  of  Miss  Valorie 
Page's  history  or  situation,  or  whatever  else 
it  is,  as  you  may  think  it  desirable  for  me  to 
know,  and  not  one  word  more.  So  far  as 
serving  her,  or  defending  her,  or  doing  any- 
thing and  everything  else  for  her  is  concerned, 
I  am  ready,  in  poker  slang,  to  '  go  it  blind/  " 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Phil.  Then  he  sat  for 
a  long  time  in  silence,  as  if  ordering  his 
thoughts.  At  last  he  arose,  filled  a  long- 
stemmed  Powhatan  pipe,  lighted  it,  and 


128  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

smoked  for  a  while  in  silence.  Finally  he 
said: 

"All  that  I  need  tell  you  now  is  that  Va- 
lorie  is  in  danger  through  a  perversion  of  the 
law.  I  am  staying  here  to  meet  that  danger 
and  I  may  need  your  help." 

"  Excuse  me  for  interrupting,"  said  the 
other,  "  but  I  have  already  said  that  any  and 
every  help  I  can  render  shall  be  forthcoming 
whenever  you  call  for  it." 

"Thank  you.  I  knew  that  before.  Now 
I  have  fully  considered  this  matter,  and  I  have 
made  up  my  mind.  If  the  danger  conies,  it 
will  be  through  court  processes,  and  with  my 
uncle's  ingenious  knowledge  of  the  law,  I  shall 
fight  the  peril  in  the  courts  as  long  as  there  is 
a  leg  to  stand  upon  there.  If  I  am  beaten  in 
that,  I  shall  fight  it  with  shotguns." 

"  That  is  all  right,"  cheerfully  answered  the 
other.  "  My  shotgun  is  ready  and  so  is  its 
owner,  Greg  Tazewell,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Ph.  D., 
country  doctor,  planter  and  by  no  means  a 
bad  wing  shot,  as  you  can  testify." 

"  I  know,  Greg.     I  only  wanted  you  to  be 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    129 

prepared  for  emergencies.  I  should  have 
counted  upon  you  at  any  rate." 

Having  decided  to  remain  in  Virginia  thus 
indefinitely,  Phil  Shenstone  planned  to  put  in 
his  time  in  those  studies  of  which  he  felt  the 
need  as  a  supplement  to  his  interrupted  edu- 
cation. To  that  end  he  decided  to  remove 
himself  from  Woodlands  to  his  own  nearly 
worthless  little  plantation  of  Fox  Harbor, 
where  there  was  a  comfortable  little  dwelling 
house,  and  where  he  thought  the  ministrations 
of  his  seventeen  more  or  less  decrepit  negroes, 
old  and  young,  might  serve  to  keep  a  home 
going. 

"  I  shall  have  three  regular  cooks,"  he  said 
to  Valorie,  "and  two  extras.  From  such  ob- 
servations as  I  have  been  able  to  make,  at  least 
one  of  the  regular  cooks  will  recognize  her  fit- 
ness for  duty  each  day,  and  if  not,  perhaps 
the  extras  will  be  able  to  give  me  my  break- 
fast. If  worse  comes  to  worst,  it  is  only  three 
miles  to  Woodlands.  I've  a  negro  boy  who 
can  clean  dry  mud  off  my  boots,  under  my  per- 
sonal superintendence,  and  I  do  not  despair 


130   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

of  teaching  him  to  do  o.ther  small  services. 
There  are  two  women  who  profess  a  certain 
acquaintance  with  the  mysteries  of  laundry 
work,  so  that  on  the  whole  I  shall  be  able  to 
live,  perhaps,  especially  as  I  shall  be  sustained 
by  the  consoling  reflection  that  I  am  a  landed 
proprietor." 

At  that  point  in  the  conversation,  Colonel 
Shenstone  appeared  and,  having  caught  some 
part  of  the  conversation,  demanded  to  know 
the  rest  of  the  matter.  After  Phil  had  ex- 
plained his  plan,  the  old  gentleman,  whose  gout 
was  giving  him  a  good  deal  of  trouble  that  day, 
broke  out  into  a  passionate  denunciation  of  his 
nephew's  ingratitude,  and  ended  by  "  daring  " 
him  again  so  much  as  to  hint  at  the  possibility 
of  his  quitting  Woodlands  for  any  other  place 
whatever,  so  long  as  he  should  remain  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  old  gentleman's  tone  was  wrath- 
ful, but  —  as  he  afterwards  gently  explained 
—  the  wrath  was  directed,  not  against  Phil, 
but  at  the  twinges  of  gout  that  were  tortur- 
ing him.  Having  finished  his  speech  he 
started  to  hobble  out  of  the  room,  but  pres- 
ently stopping,  he  dropped  into  a  chair  and 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    131 

resting  his  foot  upon  a  stool,  which  Valorie 
was  alert  to  place  conveniently,  said: 

"  Phil,  my  dear  boy,  I'm  growing  old  and 
I  need  you.  I  can't  even  look  after  the  plan- 
tation half  the  time  now,  and  there  are  other 
things  of  vastly  greater  importance  that  you 
must  take  off  my  shoulders.  Forgive  me  if  I 
was  harsh  — " 

"  Not  another  word,  Uncle,  I  beg  of  you. 
We  are  two  gentlemen  of  Virginia,  and  we 
understand  each  other  without  apologies.  I 
am  ready  to  help  you  in  every  way  I  can." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that.  I  shall  be  better  in  a 
day  or  two,  and  then  we  must  set  to  work  to- 
gether over  some  papers.  In  the  meanwhile 
I  wish  you'd  send  a  boy  over  for  Dr.  Taze- 
well.  He  generally  manages  to  ease  my 
gout." 

So  the  conversation  ended  in  amity,  and 
Phil  Shenstone  abandoned  his  purpose  of 
quitting  Woodlands  for  a  residence  of  his  own. 


XVI 

DURING   Tazewell's    stay   at   Wood- 
lands,   prolonged    until    Col.    Shen- 
stone's  suffering  from  gout  was  mer- 
cifully alleviated,  he  had  opportunity  for  con- 
verse with  Valorie  and  he  made  the  fullest 
possible  use  of  it.     It  was  the  best  of  his 
habits  never  to  neglect  an  opportunity. 

One  evening  when  the  Indian  summer  had 
brought  a  soft  warm  atmosphere,  ;.nd  the 
moon,  a  little  short  of  the  full,  was  flooding 
the  landscape  with  its  mellow,  soothing  light, 
he  and  she  met  in  the  porch.  The  moonlight 
tempted  them,  and  without  plan  or  purpose 
they  wandered  away  to  the  edge  of  the  wood- 
lands, and  gazed  into  the  blackness  beyond 
without  speech,  where  speech  was  unneces- 
sary. The  glory  of  the  evening  was  enough. 
But  when  a  young  woman  and  a  young  man 
are  thus  strolling  together  in  the  moonlight, 
132 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    133 

there  comes  to  both  at  last  a  vague  feeling  that 
speech  of  some  sort  is  requisite,  if  only  to 
avoid  misapprehension.  So  presently  Valorie 
said,  "  Jane  is  well  again,  thanks  to  your  skill, 
Doctor." 

"  Thanks  to  my  reckless  daring,  rather," 
he  replied. 

"  How  do  you  mean?  "  she  asked. 

"  Why,  when  I  saw  that  she  must  die  un- 
der any  recognized  treatment,  I  tried  an  ex- 
periment upon  her  which  I  had  long  been 
thinking  of.  It  was  a  desperate  chance,  but 
as  she  must  die  without  it,  I  decided  at  last  to 
try  it  and  it  succeeded.  I  saved  Jane's  life 
by  doing  what  all  the  books  and  all  the  author- 
ities condemn,  and  I  have  had  to  exercise  a 
good  deal  of  self-control  to  avoid  boasting  in 
the  report  I  have  made  of  the  case  in  the  medi- 
cal journals.  It  was  a  hazardous  experiment. 
It  might  have  hastened  death  by  many  hours, 
but  it  succeeded  in  saving  a  life  and  it  has 
been  a  joy  to  me  to  report  the  case  for  the  in- 
struction of  others." 

Valorie  utterly  misinterpreted  his  mood  and 
his  meaning. 


134  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Then  Jane  was  only  a  '  subject '  to  you, 
a  person  who  offered  you  an  opportunity  for 
experimentation.  You  didn't  care  whether 
she  lived  or  died.  You  had  no  concern  for 
her  brood  of  little  children.  She  was  to  you 
only  a  negro  slave  woman  —  worth  five  hun- 
dred dollars  to  her  master,  or  about  that,  and 
you  were  anxious  to  save  her  life  only  in  the 
interest  of  her  owner,  but  seeing  that  ordinary 
means  to  that  end  were  likely  to  prove  in- 
effective, you  decided  to  make  her  the  subject 
of  a  scientific  experiment  at  risk  of  shortening 
her  life  by  those  hours  which  Divine  Provi- 
dence was  granting  her,  perhaps,  for  repent- 
ance and  the  saving  of  her  immortal  soul.  I 
am  shocked,  distressed,  horrified.  Let  me  go 
back  to  the  house.  Stay  here  till  I  enter  the 
grounds.  Good  night.  I  am  sorry  to  part 
with  you  thus." 

It  was  obviously  futile  to  follow  the  young 
woman  or  to  attempt  speech  in  explanation. 
The  entrance  to  the  house  grounds  was  less 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  and  the  flood- 
ing moonlight  enabled  the  young  man  to  see 
her  clearly  throughout  that  distance  as  she 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    135 

hurriedly  retreated.  He  followed  slowly,  and 
half  an  hour  later  he  was  telling  Phil  Shen- 
stone  the  details  of  the  quarrel. 

"  She  will  think  differently  of  the  matter," 
said  Phil,  "  when  she  understands ;  and  I  will 
see  that  she  understands." 

There  was  an  ache  at  his  heart  as  he  gave 
the  promise,  for  he  saw  in  Valerie's  resent- 
ment of  what  she  thought  unworthy  in  Greg 
Tazewell,  the  surest  of  all  possible  signs  that 
the  young  physician  had  awakened  a  danger- 
ously active  interest  in  her  heart,  and,  while 
he  persuaded  himself  that  he  was  not  Greg 
Tazewell's  rival  in  that  respect,  he  neverthe- 
less was  saddened  by  the  discovery,  and  he 
found  himself  all  the  next  morning,  planning 
an  early  return  to  his  business  affairs  in  the 
West. 

He  was  a  gentleman,  however,  and  as  such 
his  loyalty  to  his  friend  dominated  every  other 
impulse  in  his  mind. 

So  on  that  morning,  after  Tazewell  had 
taken  his  departure,  Phil  asked  Valorie  to  ride 
with  him  to  the  little  plantation  he  had  inher- 
ited, and  on  which  he  was  trying  to  devise  a 


136  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

scheme  by  which  his  negroes  might  be  made 
self-supporting,  or  nearly  so.  There  were 
some  good  apple  trees  on  the  place  and  Phil 
had  ordered  the  apples  gathered  a  month  or  so 
earlier  and  stored  in  the  cellar,  with  no  very 
definite  idea  of  what  he  should  do  with  them, 
but  with  an  instinctive  impulse  to  prevent 
waste.  Valorie  had  almost  a  child's  appetite 
for  apples,  and  as  there  were  some  specially 
fine  varieties  among  these,  Phil  ordered  plates, 
napkins  and  fruit  knives,  and  set  her  to  eating 
them  in  the  porch,  for  the  Indian  summer 
weather  was  still  favorable  to  indulgence  in 
the  out-of-doors.  After  he  had  peeled  an  Al- 
bemarle  pippin  for  her,  he  entered  upon  the 
conversation  for  which  he  had  brought  her 
forth. 

"  You  are  displeased  with  Greg,"  he  said, 
half  assertively,  half  questioningly. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  and  she  said  no  more,  a 
fact  that  left  him  with  an  awkward  conversa- 
tional problem  to  solve.  He  waited  awhile 
before  venturing  further  to  question  her,  for 
Valorie  had  a  strange  way  of  thinking  for 
herself,  which  seemed  to  have  come  to  her 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    137 

since  her  residence  at  Woodlands  had  begun, 
and  it  puzzled  Phil  Shenstone  a  good  deal. 
That  was  because  he  knew  nothing  of  the  dif- 
ference between  a  girl,  accustomed  to  have  her 
thinking  and  her  life  dominated  by  persons  in 
authority  —  such  a  girl  as  she  had  been  when 
she  came  to  Woodlands  —  and  a  woman  per- 
mitted and  encouraged  to  think  for  herself  — 
such  as  she  had  become  under  his  own  tutelage 
and  still  more  under  the  tutelage  and  the  gen- 
erous comradery  of  Colonel  Shenstone.  At 
last  he  said,  however : 

"  I  think  you  misunderstand  and  misinter- 
pret him.  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  all  that  is 
in  your  mind." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Phil,  I  will,"  she  said, 
with  eagerness,  tossing  the  apple  from  her 
plate  to  the  hens  before  the  door,  rinsing  her 
fingers  and  drying  them.  "  I'm  glad  to  do  so. 
He  puzzles  me.  I  can't  make  him  out.  He 
does  things  in  a  heroic,  self-sacrificing  way, 
that  makes  me  think  of  him  as  —  well,  as  one 
of  God's  own  —  but  he  spoils  all  that  by  say- 
ing things  that  show  me  how  cold-blooded  he 
is,  and  convince  me  that  after  all,  he  feels 


138   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

no  human  sympathy,  that  all  his  efforts  are  in- 
spired only  by  a  cold,  scientific  desire  to  find 
out  things." 

Then  she  went  on,  passionately,  to  relate  all 
that  had  occurred  at  the  bedside  of  the  negro 
woman,  Jane,  and  all  that  had  occurred  after- 
wards, ending  with  an  account  of  what  he 
had  said  the  night  before  with  regard  to  the 
desperate  experiment  he  had  made  in  Jane's 
case. 

"  Of  course  that  was  right  enough,"  she 
said,  "  so  far  as  the  experiment  itself  was  con- 
cerned. Jane  would  have  died  if  he  had  not 
made  it.  But  he  seems  more  interested  in  the 
result  of  the  experiment  than  in  the  saving  of 
Jane's  life,  and  that  is  what  makes  me  mad  — 
pardon  me,  I  should  say  that  is  what  angers 
me." 

"  Your  first  phrase  was  good  enough,"  he 
replied.  "  It  was  idiomatic  English,  and  I  like 
that  better  than  the  English  of  the  rhetoric 
books." 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  do  that,"  she  said, 
impatiently. 

"Do  what,  Valorie?" 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    139 

"Why  talk  in  that  cold-blooded  way  when 
we're  discussing  things  that  tear  my  soul  to 
pieces.  When  you  do  that  I  don't  like  you 
any  better  than  I  do  Dr.  Tazewell.  It  is  all 
words,  words,  words,  and  I  hate  words  when 
they  do  not  express  thought  and  feeling. 
Why  don't  you  say  something  to  satisfy  me  — 
something  about  what  we  have  been  talking 
about?" 

"  I'm  coming  to  that  presently,"  he  re- 
sponded. "  I  want  you  to  be  in  a  mood  to 
listen  calmly  before  I  begin  on  that  theme. 
I'll  go  and  give  Niah  some  directions,  and  per- 
haps when  I  come  back  you'll  be  sufficiently 
self-possessed  to  listen.  I'll  be  back  in  ten 
minutes." 

As  he  went  away  the  girl  rose  and  prom- 
enaded the  porch  three  or  four  times.  Then 
she  tripped  down  the  steps  and  plucked  a  be- 
lated chrysanthemum,  which  she  held  in  her 
tremulous  hands  as  a  means  of  self-control. 

"  He  is  pleading  for  his  friend,"  she 
thought,  "as  if  it  were  for  himself.  I  won- 
der why  he  does  that?  Why  should  he  care 
what  I  think  of  Dr.  Greg  Tazewell,  and  never 


i4o  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

care  to  find  out  what  I  think  of  himself?" 
"  I  want  to  tell  you  about  Tazewell,"  he 
said,  when  they  were  seated  again.  "  He  is 
altogether  a  hero.  His  whole  life,  and  all  his 
abilities  are  given  up  to  the  service  of  human- 
ity. There  isn't  a  selfish  thought  in  his  being, 
and  what  you  condemn  as  his  cold-bloodedness 
is  only  his  enthusiasm.  Let  me  tell  you.  He 
inherited  a  plantation  and  negroes,  as  you 
know,  which  assured  him  a  luxurious  living. 
He  might  have  been  content  with  that,  and 
most  young  men  would  have  been.  But  his 
is  a  generous  nature.  He  could  not  reconcile 
himself  to  the  leading  of  a  life  of  ease.  He 
read  philosophy, —  English,  German  and 
French.  He  accepted  the  thought  that  every 
men  is  in  debt  to  the  world  for  all  of  good 
that  it  gives  him.  He  set  out  to  render  the 
world  a  service  commensurate  with  its  good 
gifts  to  him.  He  studied  medicine  in  Phila- 
delphia. Then  he  went  abroad  for  several 
years,  to  equip  himself  more  perfectly.  On 
his  return  he  might  have  settled  in  some  great 
city  with  the  certainty  of  winning  renown. 
But  it  was  not  renown  that  he  sought.  He 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    141 

wanted  to  render  service.  He  was  convinced 
that  a  physician  so  well  equipped  as  he  was, 
could  do  more  in  the  way  of  investigation  and 
discovery  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  in  a 
country  practice  in  Virginia,  where  there  were 
negroes  of  strong  constitution  to  experiment 
upon,  than  in  any  other  way.  So  putting 
aside  all  selfish  considerations,  he  settled  down 
here.  Let  me  tell  you  some  of  the  results.  A 
year  or  two  ago,  by  experiment,  he  invented 
a  device  which  is  now  in  use  by  physicians 
everywhere,  and  which  has  wrought  some- 
thing like  miracles  in  the  alleviation  of  human 
suffering  and  the  saving  of  human  life.  Re- 
cently he  has  devised  another  thing  for  the 
treatment  and  cure  of  a  distressing  malady 
which  until  now  has  been  open  only  to  tem- 
porary alleviation.  So  important  is  this  that 
his  old  instructors  in  Paris  have  summoned 
him  to  go  to  France  next  spring  to  expound 
it  for  the  benefit  of  humanity.  Now  in  Jane's 
case,  he  saw  a  woman  about  to  die.  No 
recognized  treatment  could  save  her.  He  had 
long  had  in  mind  a  treatment  which  he  be- 
lieved might  prove  effective.  He  had  never 


142   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

dared  try  it,  but  in  a  case  like  that,  where 
death  was  certain  without  it,  he  ventured.  He 
saved  Jane's  life,  and  that  meant  much  to  him, 
but  can  you  blame  him  if  his  chief  concern 
was  for  the  other  lives  that  were  to  be  saved 
by  his  demonstration  of  the  efficacy  of  the 
treatment?  Can  you  wonder  that  the  results 
of  the  experiment  seem  to  him  of  far  greater 
consequence  than  the  person  on  whom  it  was 
made  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  wrong,"  she  said.  "  He  is 
the  hero  I  thought  him  to  be  before  I  mis- 
judged him.  Thank  you  for  telling  me." 

As  she  rose  and  passed  into  the  house  the 
tears  glistened  upon  her  cheeks,  and  Phil 
Shenstone  utterly  misinterpreted  their  appear- 
ance there.  How  was  he  to  know  that  they 
were  tears  of  admiration  for  his  own  gener- 
osity in  so  unselfishly  pleading  the  cause  of 
his  friend? 


XVII 

THE   two   rode   at   a   walk   on   their 
homeward  journey.     Both    were  en- 
gaged   in    perplexed    thought,    and 
neither    seemed    disposed    to    rapid    motion, 
though  they  had  contagiously  spirited  horses 
under  them. 

With  the  quick  perception  of  a  woman  who 
admires  and  loves,  but  who  does  not  acknowl- 
edge even  to  herself  that  she  loves,  for  the  rea- 
son that  her  love  has  not  been  openly  asked, 
Valorie  saw  that  Phil  had  misunderstood  her 
emotion,  and  she  knew  far  better  than  he  did, 
all  that  was  in  her  companion's  mind.  With 
the  defensive  instinct  of  proud  womanhood, 
she  felt  it  to  be  her  highest  duty  to  herself  to 
ignore  his  misinterpretation  or  even  to  confirm 
it  if  opportunity  should  offer.  "  If  he  chooses 
to  think  —  well  in  the  way  he  does  — "  she 
reflected,  "  he  must  go  on  thinking  so.  He 
143 


144    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

hasn't  asked  me  for  an  explanation  and  until 
he  does,  I  certainly  shall  not  offer  any.  I 
.would  crucify  my  own  soul  rather  than  do 
that." 

Phil,  on  his  part,  reflected : 

"  She  has  often  expressed  gratitude  to  me 
for  rescuing  her  from  the  life  she  was  destined 
to  lead.  She  likes  me  in  a  way,  and  if  I 
should  ask  her  to  love  me  she  would  answer 
yes,  sincerely  believing  that  her  answer  was 
true,  though  in  fact  all  of  love  that  is  in  her 
belongs  to  Greg  Tazewell.  Her  very  antag- 
onism to  him  when  she  thinks  she  discovers 
anything  unworthy  in  his  conduct  or  his  atti- 
tude of  mind,  is  sufficient  proof  of  that.  She 
so  far  worships  him  that  she  is  madly  jealous 
of  anything  and  everything  that  tends  to  im- 
pair her  ideal  of  his  perfection.  It  is  per- 
fectly certain  that  she  would  accept  any  proffer 
of  love  I  might  make  to  her,  and  all  her  life 
she  would  loyally  compel  herself  to  believe  in 
her  love  for  me.  But  I  know  better.  She 
loves  Greg  Tazewell  and  he  loves  her.  He  is 
my  friend  and  she  is  in  a  peculiar  way  the 
subject  of  my  care  and  guardianship.  I  must 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    145 

not  betray  my  friend  even  to  gain  the  one 
supreme  desire  of  my  life,  and  still  more  im- 
peratively, I  must  not  mar  her  life  by  linking 
it  with  my  own  when  love  prompts  her  to 
unite  it  with  that  of  another.  It  is  said  truly 
that  renunciation  and  self-sacrifice  are  the  se- 
cure bases  of  all  religions  that  have  appealed 
to  human  kind,  the  inspiration  of  all  heroism. 
Now  I  am  no  hero;  I  am  only  a  steamboat 
man;  but  at  any  rate  I  am  a  gentleman.  I 
desire  Valorie's  happiness  in  life  far  more 
than  I  care  for  my  own.  On  the  whole  it  is 
time  for  me  to  go  back  to  the  western  waters 
and  attend  to  my  own  affairs." 

With  this  thought  in  his  mind  he  broke  the 
silence  that  had  so  long  endured  between  the 
two. 

"  Val,"  he  said,  "  I  find  I  must  go  back  to 
the  West  almost  immediately.  There  are 
matters  there  that  need  my  attention.  We 
have  been  building  three  new  steamboats  for 
the  trade  between  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis, 
and  they  are  to  go  into  commission  at  once. 
You  see  there  is  a  great  tide  of  emigration 
from  the  East  to  the  Missouri  River  country, 


146  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

and  every  boat  we  can  set  going  will  be  black 
with  a  multitude  of  passengers  and  flaming 
red  with  a  cargo  of  farm  wagons,  plows,  har- 
rows, hay-rakes  and  every  other  sort  of  agri- 
cultural implement.  Every  trip  of  every 
steamboat  will  make  a  small  fortune  for  us, 
and  it  seems  necessary  that  I,  as  the  largest 
single  stockholder,  should  be  there  to  look 
after  the  business." 

It  was  well  that  he  was  not  looking  at  Va- 
lorie's  face  as  he  said  all  this.  As  it  was, 
she  had  time  in  which  to  control  her  emotions 
before  he  had  finished.  She  was  tempted  to 
remind  him  of  what  he  had  told  her  —  that  he 
was  a  rich  man,  that  he  had  money  enough, 
that  his  partners  in  all  his  steamboat  ventures 
were  men  capable  of  managing  affairs  with- 
out his  help,  and  all  the  rest  of  it. 

Instead,  she  said : 

"  Of  course,  you  are  right.  In  what  you 
have  done  for  me  you  have  wasted  time  that 
must  be  precious  to  your  business  interests. 
I  shall  be  sorry,  of  course,  to  miss  our  very 
pleasant  daily  intercourse,  but  that  is  a  mat- 
ter of  no  consequence  in  comparison  with  your 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    147 

large  business  interests.  You  can  easily  ar- 
range for  the  care  of  your  negroes  at  Fox 
Harbor." 

Again  he  misunderstood  her,  as,  in  the  pride 
of  her  womanhood  she  meant  that  he  should. 
He  accepted  her  response  as  meaning  that  on 
the  whole  she  would  be  glad  to  have  his  pres- 
ence taken  out  of  her  life  at  this  emotional 
juncture. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  answered,  nonchalantly. 
"  It  is  only  a  question  of  feeding  and  cloth- 
ing those  helpless  creatures.  Fox  Harbor  adv 
joins  Greg  Tazewell's  plantation.  I  shall  ask 
him  to  annex  it  in  a  sense.  I'll  leave  a  sum 
of  money  subject  to  his  order,  and  ask  him  to 
see  that  these  people  of  mine  have  an  abun- 
dance to  eat  and  plenty  of  clothes.  As  for  the 
house,  I  reckon  I'll  board  that  up." 

It  was  a  full  minute  before  Valorie 
answered.  Perhaps  she  was  afraid  of  betray- 
ing too  tender  an  emotion  in  answering.  If 
that  was  her  purpose,  she  accomplished  it,  for 
when  she  did  answer  it  was  in  a  level,  equable 
voice  and  in  terms  that  restrained  sentiment 
within  entirely  conventional  bounds. 


148   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  That  would  be  a  pity,  I  think.  The  house 
is  an  old  one,  and  though  it  is  now  shorn  of 
the  broad  domain  of  which  it  was  once  the 
centre,  it  has  a  history  of  hospitality.  Why 
not  leave  it  open?  I  will  go  over  there  once 
or  twice  a  week  and  see  that  your  servants 
keep  it  in  order.  Then  once  a  year  when  your 
birthday  comes,  if  you'll  tell  me  when  that  is, 
I'll  give  a  dining  day  there  to  your  friends 
and  in  your  honor.  You  have  done  so  much 
for  me,  Mr.  Phil,  that  I  shall  be  glad  if  you'll 
let  me  do  that  much  for  you,  just  in  memory 
of  our  pleasant  six  months  of  association." 

If  any  thing  had  been  needed  to  convince 
Shenstone  of  the  correctness  of  his  interpre- 
tation of  the  girl's  attitude,  this  friendly  but 
seemingly  unemotional  utterance  would  have 
sufficed.  It  was  clear  to  him  that  friendship 
and  gratitude  were  the  warmest  sentiments 
she  entertained  for  him.  It  was  obvious  to 
him  that  his  plan  of  going  at  once  to  the  West, 
and  taking  himself  out  of  Valerie's  life  was 
the  only  wise  one,  the  only  one  that  promised 
the  highest  happiness  for  her.  As  for  himself 
—  he  did  not  include  himself  in  the  reckoning. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    149 

And  Valerie  ?  As  she  neared  her  journey's 
end  she  gave  rein  to  her  horse  and  finished  in 
a  gallop.  It  seemed  to  her  that  she  must 
break  down  and  reveal  herself  in  a  way  that, 
would  destroy  her  with  shame,  if  she  did  not 
quickly  reach  her  own  room  and  vent  her  feel- 
ings in  the  natural,  feminine  way,  a  good  cry. 
She  saw  slipping  away  from  her  all  that  she 
had  subconsciously  hoped  for  in  life,  all  that 
life  promised  to  her  soul.  Even  yet  her  pride 
would  not  let  her  admit  to  herself  that  she 
loved  Phil  Shenstone.  Indeed  the  very 
thought  of  such  a  thing,  angered  her  and  of- 
fended her  amour  propre  beyond  endurance. 
She  resolutely  refused  to  believe  it.  She  re- 
sented it  as  an  insult  to  her  womanhood.  She 
passionately  denied  it  to  her  own  soul,  with 
which  she  was  now  in  intense  antagonism  be- 
cause of  its  impulse  toward  a  love  that  was  un- 
asked and  therefore  shamefully  impossible. 

In  her  agitation  it  was  her  hope  that  she 
might  preserve  the  outward  seeming  of  equa- 
nimity until  such  time  as  she  should  reach 
the  seclusion  of  her  room. 

But  as  the  two  approached  the  horse  block 


150  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

in  front  of  the  house  grounds,  she  saw  a  negro 
boy  leading  Greg  Tazewell's  horse  to  the 
stables,  and  instantly  the  fear  that  Colonel 
Shenstone  was  ill  again  seized  upon  her  mind 
and  dominated  it  to  the  exclusion  of  all  per- 
sonal concerns  and  to  the  suppression  bf  every 
emotion  that  had  self  for  its  subject  or  its 
object.  For  Valor ie  Page  had  learned  to  love 
Colonel  Shenstone  with  all  the  passion  possible 
to  a  daughter's  devotion,  and  the  thought  of 
his  renewed  suffering  drove  all  other  thoughts 
out  of  her  mind. 

The  moment  she  reached  the  entrance  to 
the  house  grounds,  she  slipped  from  her  saddle 
without  waiting  for  Phil's  help  or  for  anything 
else,  and,  gathering  up  the  absurdly  long 
riding  habit  that  Virginia  Amazons  always 
used  on  horseback,  fled  like  a  startled  fawn 
to  the  porch  where  she  saw  Greg  Tazewell 
carefully  dropping  some  medicine  into  a  glass. 

"  Tell  me !  "  she  cried,  seizing  his  arm  and 
disturbing  his  count ;  "  is  Uncle  Butler  very 
ill?" 

With  that  scientific  calm,  which  in  him  was 
often  so  irritating  to  Valerie's  nerves,  he 


L 


•  TELL  ME  !  is  UNCLE  BUTLER  VERY  ILL  ?  "  —  Page  150. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   151 

emptied  the  contents  of  the  glass  upon  the 
ground  beyond  the  rail,  turned  to  the  serv- 
ant in  attendance  and  said: 

"  Bring  me  another  wine  glass.  No,  leave 
that  one  where  it  is  " —  seeing  the  negro  about 
to  pick  it  up.  "  I  want  another.  Plunge  it 
into  hot  water  for  a  full  minute,  and  then 
bring  it  to  me,  dry  and  hot."  Then  turning 
to  Valorie  he  answered : 

"  Colonel  Shenstone  has  another  attack  of 
gout.  I'll  tell  you  about  it  presently.  Just 
now  I  must  prepare  his  medicine,  and  one  drop 
too  much  might  —  well,  it  might  make  a  dif- 
ference." 

She  shrank  back,  almost  as  if  she  had  re- 
ceived a  blow,  and  waited  until  the  servant 
should  return  with  the  glass  and  the  doctor 
should  drop  his  medicine.  He  said  not  one 
word  in  the  meantime,  so  intent  was  he  upon 
his  function  —  and  when  he  had  done  he 
passed  into  the  house,  still  in  silence,  to  admin- 
ister the  draught.  It  was  not  until  he  re- 
turned that  he  addressed  her.  When  he  did 
so,  there  was  a  note  of  sarcasm,  she  thought, 
in  what  he  said. 


152    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"Pardon  me,"  he  began;  "but  you  object 
I  believe  to  scientific  ways,  and  especially  to 
experiments.  Colonel  Shenstone's  gout  has 
taken  a  form  that  seriously  endangers  his  life, 
and  he  is  fully  conscious  of  the  fact.  With  his 
full  permission,  and  active  sanction,  I  am  giv- 
ing him  a  very  heroic  treatment,  one  that  ordi- 
narily I  should  not  venture  to  give  to  any  but 
a  man  of  middle  life  or  younger,  and  very  ro- 
bust at  that.  It  is  an  experiment  in  your 
uncle's  case,  and  I  must  watch  effects  very 
carefully.  To  that  end  I  must  stay  at  Wood- 
lands night  and  day  for  a  time.  I  wonder  if 
you  could  have  a  couch  for  me  placed  in  his 
room.  I  must  see  him  at  all  hours." 

If  he  had  hit  her  in  the  face  with  a  horse- 
whip, the  girl  could  scarcely  have  been  more 
severely  stung.  His  impulse  had  been  partly 
one  of  self- justification,  partly  one  of  expla- 
nation, and  partly  one  of  apology.  She  in- 
terpreted it  as  one  of  rebuke  and  defiance,  and 
the  worst  of  it  was  that  after  Phil  Shenstone's 
explanation  made  that  morning,  she  felt  bit- 
terly that  she  deserved  all  of  rebuke  and  re- 
reproach  the  young  doctor  could  heap  upon 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    153 

her.  It  was  that  consciousness  of  ill  desert 
indeed  which  gave  keenest  sting  to  his  words. 
Had  they  been  wanton  her  pride  would  have 
been  panoply  enough  against  their  power  to 
wound.  But  feeling  as  she  did  that  she  de- 
served them  and  worse,  she  could  summon  no 
resentment  to  ward  them  off  or  soften  their 
severity. 

Had  she  been  a  weaker  woman  she  would 
have  burst  into  tears  and  retreated  to  the  se- 
clusion of  her  own  room.  Being  in  fact  a 
woman  of  strong  character  and  extraordinary 
self-control,  she  faced  him  instead  and  said : 

"  You  have  misjudged  me,  Doctor,  as  I 
have  misjudged  you.  Mr.  Phil  has  been  ex- 
plaining things  to  me,  and  I  see  now  how 
wrongfully  I  have  interpreted  your  attitude. 
Please  let  us  be  friends,  and  whatever  you  can 
do  to  restore  Uncle  Butler  to  health  shall  have 
my  gratitude."  She  paused  before  adding: 

"  I  sincerely  beg  your  pardon." 

For  answer  he  took  her  hand,  pressed  it  for 
a  moment,  and  then,  with  the  courtesy  of  an 
older  time  that  was  not  yet  quite  dead  in  Vir- 
ginia, raised  it  reverently  to  his  lips. 


154   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  We  understand  each  other,"  he  said,  "  and 
there  should  be  nothing  between  us  to  forgive. 
You  are  a  brave  woman  —  brave  enough  to 
hear  the  truth.  Colonel  Shenstone's  present 
attack  is  the  most  dangerous  one  he  has  ever 
had.  Previous  attacks  have  subjected  him  to 
severe  pain,  but  to  nothing  worse.  This  one 
threatens  something  more  serious." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  it  endangers  his  life  ?  " 
"  I  fear  I  must  say  yes,  but  I  do  not  de- 
spair. His  gout  is  inherited.  His  own  habits 
have  always  been  good  —  even  abstemious. 
His  constitution  is  strong,  and  because  of  that 
I  have  decided  to  —  pardon  the  phrase  if  it 
offends  you  —  make  this  hazardous  experi- 
ment in  his  case.  Foreseeing  as  I  do,  that  un- 
less something  can  be  done  for  the  eradication 
of  the  disease,  he  is  pretty  certain  to  succumb 
to  it  very  soon,  and  recognizing  the  strength 
of  his  constitution  as  a  substitute  for  youthful 
vigor,  I  have  decided  to  —  pardon  the  phrase 
again  —  make  the  experiment.  I  am  giving 
him  steadily  increasing  doses  of  a  powerful 
drug.  I  shall  press  the  treatment  to  the  limit 
of  constitutional  endurance,  in  the  hope  of 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    155 

eliminating  from  his  system  the  poison  that 
gives  him  his  attacks.  I  tell  you  frankly  that 
I  never  gave  such  a  treatment  to  a  man  of  his 
age  before,  and  that  even  in  the  case  of 
younger  men  I  should  never  think  of  giving  it 
unless  I  could  stay  night  and  day  with  the 
patient,  watching  every  symptom.  But  I  also 
tell  you  frankly  that  unless  some  such  treat- 
ment is  given  to  him  successfully,  Colonel 
Shenstone  cannot  live  to  see  another  spring. 
I  ask  you  frankly  to  say  whether  or  not  I  am 
right  in  making  the  experiment?" 

For  answer  she  took  his  hand  and  said 
simply,  "  Thank  you,  and  may  God  prosper 
your  experiment." 

Then  she  went  into  the  house  and  ordered  a 
couch  placed  for  him  on  one  side  of  Colonel 
Shenstone's  bed  —  and  on  the  other  an  easy 
chair  for  herself. 


XVIII 

WHEN  two  persons  of  reasonable 
mind  have  had  a  little  quarrel  and 
have  made  it  up,  they  are  very  apt 
to  grow  closer  together  because  of  the  differ- 
ence. When  the  two  persons  involved  in  the 
quarrel  and  the  reconciliation  happen  to  be  a 
young  man  and  a  young  woman,  they  are  very 
apt  to  let  the  newly  established  relations  of 
friendship  develop  into  the  tenderer  relations 
of  love.  A  young  man  and  a  young  woman 
so  placed,  are  very  apt  to  decide  that  on  the 
whole  they  wish  to  become  husband  and  wife. 
This  is  a  general  statement  of  probabilities, 
and  nothing  more. 

As  Colonel  Shenstone's  fine  constitution 
yielded  to  the  heroic  treatment  prescribed  by 
Greg  Tazewell,  and  he  began  to  grow  better, 
there  were  many  opportunities  and  invitations 
to  intimate  converse  between  Greg  Tazewell 
156 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   157 

and  Valerie  Page,  and  they  made  the  most  of 
them. 

Valorie  was  still  penitent  as  to  her  former 
misjudgment  of  the  young  doctor,  and  she 
sought  opportunity  to  make  amends.  One 
evening,  as  they  two  strolled  through  the  house 
grounds,  each  seeking  relaxation  from  the 
strain  of  watching  by  the  Colonel's  bedside, 
Valorie  said  something  so  affectionate  as  to 
the  doctor's  care  of  her  uncle,  that  he  lost  his 
head,  and  said  in  reply : 

"  Why  should  not  you  and  I  become  his 
watchers,  his  guardians,  his  tender  nurses  from 
this  time  forth?  I  love  you,  Valorie.  Say 
that  you  can  love  me  in  return." 

"  I  cannot  say  that,"  she  answered  after  a 
moment's  hesitation.  "  I  have  a  great  esteem 
for  you,  Doctor,  and  an  abiding  affection  be- 
cause of  what  you  have  done  and  are  doing 
for  Uncle  Butler.  Indeed  you  can  never  know 
how  grateful  I  am  to  you.  But  gratitude  is 
no  fit  return  for  a  love  such  as  you  suggest. 
I  feel  even  a  greater  gratitude  to  —  well  to 
others  —  but  this  is  not  love.  I  cannot  give 
you  love  for  love,  and  so  there  must  be  an  end 


158   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

of  that  between  us.  I  hope  and  believe  that 
we  shall  remain  devoted  friends,  but  —  you 
mustn't  ask  for  more." 

Feeling  that  it  might  be  embarrassing  to  him 
either  to  plead  or  not  to  plead,  she  turned  and 
hurried  into  the  house. 

When  next  they  two  met  alone,  he  said 
something  which  seemed  to  her  to  be  a  pre- 
lude to  the  reopening  of  the  question.  She  in- 
stantly responded: 

"  Please  don't.  My  decision  is  final.  It 
would  only  distress  us  both  to  reopen  the  ques- 
tion. Let  me  ask  you  to  tell  me  instead  about 
the  success  or  failure  of  your  experiment  with 
Uncle  Butler." 

"  It  is  succeeding  far  better  than  I  dared 
hope,"  he  answered.  "  He  will  be  up  again 
within  a  few  days,  and  I  confidently  believe  he 
will  have  no  more  attacks  of  this  dangerous 
nature.  He  will  have  twinges,  of  course,  but 
nothing  more,  I  hope,  of  this  dangerous  sort. 
I  shall  report  the  results  of  the  experiment  in 
the  medical  journals." 

Instantly  she  was  in  arms  again. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    159 

"  Of  course  you  will.  You'd  have  done  that 
if  he  had  died  under  the  treatment.  How  I 
hate  your  science !  "  and  with  that  she  re- 
treated to  her  room,  there  to  mourn  over  her 
fault  in  so  resenting  a  scientific  impulse  which 
she  knew  to  be  in  the  merciful  interest  of  hu- 
manity. An  hour  later  she  apologized  and 
they  two  were  friends  again. 

As  Colonel  Shenstone  recovered  he  became 
more  and  more  impressed  with  the  danger  his 
precarious  health  involved  fof  others.  On  the 
day  on  which  Greg  Tazewell  left  him  to  com- 
plete his  recovery  under  Valerie's  care,  he  sent 
for  Phil. 

"  My  boy,"  he  said,  "  so  far  as  my  own  af- 
fairs are  concerned,  everything  is  perfectly  ar- 
ranged. But  I  have  a  lot  of  other  people's 
business  on  my  hands,  and  my  death,  which  is 
liable  to  occur  at  any  time  now,  might  result 
in  serious  trouble  to  many  quite  innocent  peo- 
ple. I  am  the  administrator  of  several  estates, 
the  executor  of  many  wills.  It  is  necessary 
that  some  one  shall  be  prepared  to  take  my 
place  in  the  event  of  my  death  — " 


160   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  But  you  are  not  going  to  die,  Uncle,"  in- 
terrupted Phil.  "  We  are  not  ready  to  con- 
sent to  that." 

"  I  quite  understand,"  said  the  old  soldier. 
"  When  I  went  into  the  battles  of  Molino  el 
Rey  and  Cherubusco,  and  Chapultepec,  it  was 
fully  understood  that  I  was  to  come  out  alive 
and  well.  So  it  was  at  Buena  Vista  and  at 
every  other  fight  I  was  ever  engaged  in. 
Nevertheless  there  was  always  the  chance  that 
a  bullet  might  change  the  programme.  So  it 
is  now.  Before  going  into  those  battles  I  al- 
ways called  some  friends  about  me  and  told 
them  what  I  wanted  done  in  case  of  my  death. 
In  the  same  spirit  I  invoke  your  assistance 
now.  No,  not  quite  in  the  same  spirit,  for 
Dr.  Tazewell  tells  me  I  am  likely  to  live  on 
indefinitely,  now  that  he  has  succeeded  in  ex- 
pelling the  gout  from  my  system.  The  real 
trouble  is  that  even  though  I  live,  I  shall  not 
be  able  to  attend  to  business,  and  there  is  a 
deal  of  business  to  be  attended  to.  I  must 
rely  upon  you  to  act  for  me." 

Here  surely  was  an  awkward  situation. 
Phil  Shenstone  had  already  begun  the  packing 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA     161 

of  his  trunks  against  the  time  of  his  departure 
for  the  West.  His  duty  to  his  uncle  seemed 
to  forbid  that  departure  altogether.  But  there 
was  no  real  and  necessary  reason  for  his  going 
West,  while  there  was  every  reason  of  affection 
and  loyalty  for  his  staying  to  assume  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  his  uncle  felt  it  necessary 
to  resign. 

For  many  days  he  spent  long  hours  in 
Colonel  Shenstone's  room,  going  over  papers 
and  mastering  details,  and  so  far  acquainting 
himself  with  the  old  lawyer's  business  that  he 
might  manage  it  for  him. 

To  Valorie  he  said : 

"  My  uncle  has  need  of  me.  I  find  I  must 
give  up  my  plan  of  going  back  to  the  West." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that !  "  she  answered.  Then, 
in  maidenly  fear  that  she  might  be  misunder- 
stood, she  added: 

"  I'm  glad  you  are  going  to  take  a  load  off 
Uncle  Butler's  mind." 


XIX 

THERE  were  certain  points  of  honor 
insisted  upon  by  many  gentlemen  of 
Virginia,  with  relentless  purpose. 
Among  these  was  the  obligation  of  every  man 
to  report  the  fact  when  he  had  offered  mar- 
riage to  a  young  woman  and  she  had  rejected 
him.  So  when  Greg  Tazewell  told  his  elderly 
half-brother,  Dr.  Hare,  that  he  had  offered  his 
love  to  Valorie  Page,  and  that  she  had  de- 
clined his  suit,  the  news  spread  rapidly.  Dr. 
Hare  regarded  himself  as  -specially  commis- 
sioned by  his  half-brother  to  report  it,  and, 
having  nothing  else  in  particular  to  do,  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  from  one  planta- 
tion to  another  to  tell  of  the  event.  When 
Tazewell  reproached  him  for  his  breach  of 
confidence,  his  reply  was  ready. 

"  Every  young  woman,"   he  said,   "  has  a 
right  to  count  the  scalps  hung  to  her  girdle. 
162 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    163 

When  you  told  me  of  this  thing  in  strict  con- 
fidence I  justly  assumed  that  you  intended  me 
to  spread  the  news  and  spare  you  the  em- 
barrassment of  doing  so.  I  have  fulfilled  my 
duty  in  right  brotherly  fashion.  What  more 
do  you  ask  ? " 

Tazewell  bowed  to  the  dictum  and  after  a 
moment  Dr.  Hare  said : 

"  How  long  do  you  intend  to  wait  before 
addressing  her  again?  " 

"  I  have  no  thought  of  addressing  her 
again,"  said  the  young  man,  sadly. 

"  Not  address  her  again  ?  Why  not  ? 
Surely  you  are  not  going  to  flunk  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  question  of  flunking  involved. 
My  conversation  with  her  was  entirely  serious 
and  she  begged  me  not  to  distress  her  by  re- 
curring to  the  subject,  assuring  me  that  her 
answer  was  final.  It  would  be  an  affront  to 
her  for  me  to  address  her  again." 

"  I  can't  see  that.  Our  Virginia  girls  have 
a  proper  pride  of  their  own.  They  always  re- 
ject a  first  offer  on  principle.  To  do  otherwise 
would  be  to  cheapen  themselves.  They  have 
a  right  to  know  that  a  man  is  in  earnest  be- 


i64    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

fore  accepting  him.  If  he  takes  the  first  '  no  ' 
for  an  answer  they  know  that  he  was  only 
trifling,  or  that  his  proffer  was  profnpted  by 
some  momentary  impulse,  and  so  if  he  does  not 
address  them  a  second  time  they  think  them- 
selves well  rid  of  him.  Why  your  sister  Sally 
rejected  me  seven  times  in  one  week,  and  now 
she  is  the  mother  of  my  six  children  and  a 
very  happy  woman." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  your  knowledge  of  our  Vir- 
ginia girls,"  answered  the  other,  "  but  Valorie 
Page  is  not  a  Virginia  girl  except  by  inher- 
itance." 

"  That's  true.  I  hadn't  thought  of  that. 
By  the  way  have  you  inquired  who  she  is? 
One  ought  always  to  know  all  about  a  young 
woman  before  offering  to  make  her  his  wife 
and  the  mother  of  his  children." 

"  She  is  Colonel  Butler  Shenstone's  adopted 
daughter,"  answered  Greg,  "  and  I  fancy  he 
would  make  things  exceedingly  uncomfortable 
for  any  young  man  who  should  suggest  that 
that  is  not  sufficient." 

"  I  really  suppose  he  would  • —  particularly 
if  he  happened  to  have  a  fit  of  the  gout  on  at 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    165 

the  time  of  the  inquiry.  Still,  I  strongly  ad- 
vise you  to  court  the  young  woman  again.  It 
is  the  usual  thing." 

"  I  know  it  is,  but  she  is  a  very  unusual 
young  woman," 

"  My  dear  Greg,  every  man  thinks  that 
about  the  woman  he  is  in  love  with,  but  after 
all  they  are  very  much  alike,  and  you  really 
ought  to  marry.  With  your  plantation  and 
your  practice  and  your  outside  reputation,  you 
are  everywhere  regarded  as  a  particularly  good 
catch.  Your  sister  Sally  says  you've  only  to 
back  into  a  corner  full  of  bonnets  and  take  one 
at  random,  in  full  assurance  that  its  owner 
will  consent." 

"  On  the  whole,"  answered  Greg  with  that 
scientific  deliberation  of  utterance  that  always 
specially  irritated  his  elderly  but  still  en- 
thusiastic half-brother,  "  on  the  whole  I 
cherish  a  more  exalted  opinion  of  what  you 
call  '  our  Virginia  girls/  and  of  womanhood 
generally  than  my  good  sister-in-law,  your 
wife,  does." 

With  that  he  sprang  into  his  saddle  and  gal- 
loped away.  If  there  was  any  woman  of  his 


1 66   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

acquaintance  whom  he  was  strongly  tempted 
to  except  from  his  general  deference  to  wom- 
anhood, it  was  this  same  sister-in-law,  Sally. 
He  knew  her  well  as  a  merciless  and  utterly 
conscienceless  gossip,  in  so  far  as  she  was  per- 
mitted to  indulge  her  propensities  in  that  way. 
For  in  Virginia  at  that  time,  women  disposed 
to  gossip  had  their  tongues  held  in  leash  by  the 
customs  of  the  country,  exercising  their  re- 
straining influence  in  two  ways  and  from  two 
sources  of  authority.  In  the  first  place,  all 
the  stately  dames  of  that  time,  who  by  virtue 
of  their  lineage,  their  social  position  and  their 
characters,  were  vested  with  social  authority 
—  all  such  frowned  with  the  utmost  severity 
upon  every  suggestion  of  gossip.  In  the  sec- 
ond place,  in  that  time  and  country  every 
woman  knew  that  her  nearest  male  relative, 
husband,  brother,  father  or  what  not,  was  held 
responsible  for  every  word  or  act  of  hers,  and 
the  knowledge  was  a  powerfully  deterrent  in- 
fluence in  restraint  of  gossip. 

Nevertheless  this  sister-in-law  of  his  man- 
aged often  to  insinuate  spiteful  things  that 
she  dared  not  say,  and  twice  her  husband  had 

t 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   167 

been  brought  into  sore  trouble  by  the  wagging 
of  her  tongue. 

Greg  knew  that  her  husband  would  tell  her 
of  what  he  had  said,  and  that  she  would 
seek  sly  revenge.  Under  the  circumstances  it 
would  be  very  easy  indeed  for  her  to  put  him 
into  a  painfully  false  position.  She  need  say 
nothing.  She  need  only  ask  questions.  She 
might  profess  a  peculiar  admiration  and  af- 
fection for  Valorie,  and  then  ask  questions 
which  nobody  could  answer  regarding  her 
birth,  parentage  and  previous  history,  and 
the  worst  of  it  was  that  as  everybody  knew 
of  her  rejection  of  his  suit,  everybody  would 
regard  his  sister-in-law's  malevolence  as  a 
thing  inspired  by  himself. 

Everybody  knew  of  it,  that  is  to  say,  except 
Phil  Shenstone.  He  knew  nothing  either  of 
the  courtship  or  of  the  rejection.  The  very 
last  place  to  which  news  of  these  things  was 
likely  to  penetrate,  was  Colonel  Shenstone's 
chamber,  and  for  the  present,  Phil  was  shut 
up  there  going  over  papers  and  making  mi- 
nute memoranda,  during  nearly  all  his  waking 
hours.  Early  in  the  mornings  he  rode  with 


168  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Valorie,  after  seeing  the  plantation  animals 
fed,  and  in  the  evenings  he  sat  before  the  fire 
in  the  parlor  while  she  softly  played  upon  the 
harp,  the  piano  or  the  violin,  with  the  gentle 
purpose  of  resting  him.  But  during  all  the 
working  hours  of  the  day  his  attention  was 
concentrated  upon  affairs,  and  as  no  company 
came  to  Woodlands  during  Colonel  Shen- 
stone's  convalescence,  Phil  Shenstone  heard 
not  one  word  of  his  friend's  proposal  to 
Valorie  or  of  her  rejection  of  his  suit.  He 
still  believed  those  two  in  love,  and  his  convic- 
tion was  confirmed  by  their  prolonged  confer- 
ences. How  was  he  to  know  that  these  had 
for  their  subject  the  care  of  Colonel  Shen- 
stone ? 

Then  suddenly  an  event  occurred  in  San 
Francisco  which  completely  changed  conditions 
at  Woodlands,  so  complexly  interlocked  are 
human  affairs  in  this  modern  time.  The  Cali- 
fornia banking  house  of  Adams  &  Co.,  failed. 

That  house  had  banking  and  other  relations 
with  financial  institutions  throughout  the 
country,  and  especially  its  members  were  pro- 
prietors also  of  the  one  great  express  com- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   169 

pany  then  doing  business  throughout  the  land. 

The  failure  of  Adams  &  Co.  quickly  in- 
volved other  failures  in  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia and  all  others  of  the  financial  centres 
which  then  loosely  controlled  the  business  of 
the  continent. 

Circumstances  were  ripe  for  such  a  panic  as 
the  country  had  never  before  known  or 
dreamed  of.  The  development  of  the  West 
had  involved  an  extension  of  credit,  restrained 
neither  by  any  adequate  governmental  super- 
vision nor  by  any  concerted  programme  of 
prudence.  Worse  still,  there  was  no  trust- 
worthy currency  of  any  kind  in  the  country  ex- 
cept the  utterly  inadequate  supply  of  gold  and 
silver  coin,  a  large  proportion  of  which  con- 
sisted of  badly  worn  Spanish  and  French 
silver  pieces.  Every  state  had  its  own  "  wild 
cat "  banking  laws,  under  which  banks  with  a 
capital  of  ten  or  twenty  thousand  dollars  might 
and  did  issue  circulating  notes  to  the  extent  of 
millions  each,  secured,  as  a  wit  said  at 
the  time,  by  nothing  more  substantial  than  the 
pledge  of  the  cashiers'  boots. 

These  banknotes,  crowding  the  new  Cali- 


170   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

fornian  and  Australian  gold  out  of  use,  as  bad 
money  always  does  with  good  money,  con- 
stituted the  circulating  medium  of  the  entire 
country,  and  when  the  panic  came  they  almost 
instantly  lost  such  value  as  they  had  ever  had. 
Manufacturing  and  commercial  houses  were 
suddenly  obliged  to  stop  business.  Men  and 
women  by  scores  and  hundreds  of  thousands, 
were  thrown  out  of  employment.  The  little 
dealers  with  whom  such  were  accustomed  to 
trade,  were  forced  into  insolvency.  The  great 
merchants,  from  whom  these  small  dealers 
were  accustomed  to  buy,  found  themselves 
without  a  market  for  their  goods,  and  in  their 
turn  made  assignments. 

Chaos  was  come  again. 

Hurried  telegrams,  in  such  numbers  as  had 
never  been  known  in  that  countryside  before, 
came  clamorously  to  Phil  Shenstone  from  his 
partners  in  the  West.  Most  of  these  mes- 
sages were  so  badly  "  bulled  "  in  transmission 
—  for  the  art  of  the  telegrapher  was  in  its  in- 
fancy then  —  that  he  could  make  little  out  of 
them.  But  this  much  they  made  clear  to  his 
mind,  that  things  with  his  steamboat  partner- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    171 

ship  were  in  an  exceedingly  bad  way,  and  that 
unless  he  should  hurry  west  to  take  charge  of 
affairs  there  was  no  knowing  what  might  hap- 
pen —  but  that  whatever  it  might  be,  it  must 
be  disastrous. 

To  Phil  Shenstone  the  worst  of  the  situa- 
tion was  that  everything  Valorie's  father  had 
left  in  his  charge  for  her  was  invested  in  these 
steamboat  enterprises  of  his. 

Hurriedly  throwing  a  few  suits  of  clothing 
into  a  trunk,  he  left  by  the  next  train  to  make 
the  tedious  journey  to  the  West.  How  tedi- 
ous a  journey  it  was  in  those  days,  when  every 
little  railroad  was  operated  independently  of 
every  other,  it  is  difficult  for  one  born  in  a 
later  generation  to  conceive.  He  must  take  a 
train  to  Richmond.  There,  after  a  wait  of 
several  hours,  he  must  take  a  pottering  train 
to  Fredericksburg.  There  he  must  change 
to  a  train  that  ran  to  Acquia  creek  on  the  Po- 
tomac, seven  miles  away.  There  he  must  take 
steamboat  for  Washington.  In  the  capital 
city  a  preposterously  long  omnibus,  with  only 
two  or  three  passengers  in  it,  would  convey 
him  across  town  to  the  station  of  the  Balti- 


172  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

more  and  Ohio  branch  line,  leading  to  the  Re- 
lay House.  At  that  point  he  must  wait  five 
hours  for  a  train  out  of  Baltimore  for  the 
West.  This  train  would  take  him  very  slowly 
and  with  numberless  stops,  to  Wheeling,  or 
rather  to  a  point  four  miles  further  down  the 
Ohio  River.  A  ferryboat  took  him  across  the 
stream,  to  Belleair,  and  after  a  wait  of  an 
hour  or  two,  he  could  board  a  train  for  New- 
ark, Ohio.  There  he  had  to  change  cars 
again  for  Columbus,  thirty  miles  or  so  away. 
If  he  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  arrive  at 
Columbus  on  time  he  might  have  gone  on  to 
Cincinnati  without  delay.  But,  being  two 
hours  behind  time  —  a  very  moderate  late- 
ness in  those  days  —  he  must  wait  until  mid- 
night for  the  next  train  over  the  Little  Miami 
railroad,  whose  boast  it  was  that  it  ran  two 
trains  each  way  every  twenty-four  hours  in- 
stead of  the  one  that  was  usual  on  most  other 
railroads.  The  Little  Miami  was  a  conspic- 
uous model  of  enterprise. 

At  Cincinnati  Phil  Shenstone  found  his 
partners  awaiting  him,  and,  finding  that  one  of 
their  steamboats  was  leaving  that  day  for  St. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    173 

Louis,  the  party  boarded  her  for  uninterrupted 
consultation  during  the  trip. 

"  Precisely  what  is  the  situation  ? "  Phil 
Shenstone  asked,  when  the  group  assembled  in 
the  Texas  cabin  where  there  was  privacy. 

"Well,"  answered  Budd  Doble,  "the  last 
three  trips  of  our  boats  from  Cincinnati  to  St. 
Louis  have  netted  a  loss." 

"How  so?" 

"  Bad  money,"  was  the  response. 

"  But  if  the  money  had  been  good?  "  asked 
Phil. 

"  There  would  have  been  a  profit  of  several 
thousand  dollars  on  each  trip." 

Doble  answered  thus  sententiously  because 
he  understood  Phil  Shenstone's  temper  and  his 
methods  in  business. 

"  Very  well.     What  have  you  done  ?  " 

"  We've  laid  up  seven  of  our  boats." 

"  How  much  money  are  they  making  ?  I 
never  knew  a  steamboat  to  make  any  money 
while  tied  up  to  the  bank,  but  perhaps  this  is 
an  exceptional  case." 

"  Neither  did  I,"  said  John  Cannon,  and 
Tom  Leathers  echoed  the  sentiment. 


174  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  But,"  began  Budd  Doble,— 

"  But  what  ?  "  asked  Shenstone. 

"  There's  no  money  in  carrying  freight  and 
passengers  for  worthless  shinplasters." 

"  Of  course  not.  But  thanks  to  California 
and  Australia,  there's  enough  gold  in  the 
country  to  go  round.  Silver  is  out  of  it.  All 
the  silver  dollars  have  been  melted  down  be- 
cause each  of  them  was  worth  more  than  a  dol- 
lar as  mere  metal.  We'll  carry  freight  and 
passengers  for  gold  and  for  nothing  else  ex- 
cept the  notes  of  the  Northern  Bank  of  Ken- 
tucky and  a  few  other  sound  concerns.  We'll 
post  notices  to  that  effect  and  stick  to  it.  Now 
I  had  six  hours  in  Cincinnati  before  I  met  you 
fellows,  and  I  made  use  of  them.  I  find  the 
panic  has  rather  stimulated  emigration  than 
checked  it.  I  learn  too  that  a  new  tide  of  emi- 
gration has  set  in  from  the  South  by  way  of 
Louisville.  What  are  our  competitors  of  the 
Louisville  &  St.  Louis  line  doing  to  meet  the 
opportunity  ?  " 

"  They  have  laid  up  all  their  boats  but  two 
—  just  enough  to  fufill  the  minimum  require- 
ments of  their  mail  contract." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   175 

"  Good !  We'll  buy  their  boats  and  set  them 
at  work.  That  mail  contract  alone  will  pay 
operating  expenses.  This  is  a  great  oppor- 
tunity. We'll  have  every  wheel  turning  out 
gold  within  twelve  hours  after  this  boat 
reaches  Louisville,  and  within  twenty-four 
hours  we'll  buy  every  boat  the  other  fellows 
own." 

Thus  with  the  energy  that  had  accumulated 
during  his  period  of  rest,  Phil  Shenstone  set 
his  business  going,  with  results  so  profitable 
as  to  justify  even  his  optimistic  confidence. 
He  made  the  trip  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  to 
New  Orleans.  There  he  selected  five  or  six 
of  their  smaller  steamboats  and  sent  them  up 
the  Yazoo  and  the  bayous,  loaded  with  plan- 
tation supplies  for  sale  and  prepared  to  bring 
out  the  cotton  that  was  piled  high  upon  the 
banks  awaiting  a  market. 

It  was  late  in  January  when  he  began  to  feel 
that  he  had  the  business  in  proper  shape  again. 
He  had  no  thought  of  returning  to  Virginia. 
His  uncle  needed  him  of  course,  but  there  were 
personal  considerations  to  be  reckoned  with. 
He  was  sure  that  Greg  Tazewell  had  won  the 


176  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

love  of  Valorie  Page,  and  so  far  as  he  could 
he  believed  that  he  wished  to  rejoice  in  the 
fact.  But  it  was  far  easier  to  persuade  him- 
self that  he  did  rejoice  in  it,  when  every  day 
was  a  busy  one  with  him  than  it  would  be  if 
he  should  return  to  Woodlands  to  be  a  daily 
witness  to  the  disappointment  of  the  only  hope 
he  had  ever  cherished  with  all  his  heart. 

He  resolved  to  remain  in  the  West,  to  ex- 
tend his  enterprises  in  every  possible  direction, 
to  build  and  buy  additional  steamboats  and 
keep  them  all  busy  making  money  that  he  did 
not  want;  to  "  smoke  the  trees  of  every  nav- 
igable stream  in  the  South/'  he  said,  in  search 
of  cotton  bales  that  were  hungry  for  a  market ; 
to  push  his  prows  into  every  Indian-haunted 
waterway  that  flowed  from  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains into  the  Missouri  river,  and  up  every 
tributary  of  the  great  Mississippi  river  system 
that  offered  anything  deeper  than  a  dew  for 
purposes  of  navigation. 

He  had  no  money  need  to  stimulate  these 
desires.  There  was  impulse  enough  in  his 
longing  for  ceaseless  occupation  and  for  the 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   177 

forgetfulness  that  occupation  brings  to  a  mind 
perturbed. 

But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  there  came  to  him 
a  telegram  from  Greg  Tazewell  saying: 

"  The  danger  to  Valorie  has  come.  Your 
presence  is  imperative." 

He  took  the  next  train  for  the  East. 


XX 

THE  "hard  times"  that  followed  the 
great  panic  of  1857,  were  such  as  had 
never  been  known  before,  and  such  as 
have  never  been  known  since,  thank  God !  The 
poor  were  absolutely  helpless.  It  was  not  only 
that  all  industries  were  stopped,  so  that  wages 
were  nowhere  to  be  earned;  that  was  indeed 
the  smallest  part  of  the  distress.  More  than 
two-thirds  of  all  the  circulating  money  of  the 
country  had  been  extinguished.  The  little 
savings  of  the  poor  were  so  much  valueless 
paper.  But  worse  still,  in  the  absence  of 
an  adequate  circulating  medium,  the  price  of 
everything  went  up  enormously  —  the  price  of 
everything,  that  is  to  say,  except  labor.  That 
sank  to  nothingness. 

The  only  laboring  population  in  the  land  that 
did  not  severely  suffer  in  that  time  was  the 
slave  population  of  the  South.    To  them  hard 
178 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    179 

times  meant  nothing.  Come  what  might,  they 
were  fed  and  clothed  and  housed,  doctored 
when  they  were  ill  and  cared  for  in  infancy 
and  old  age  as  no  other  laboring  population 
ever  was  since  the  foundations  of  the  world 
were  laid.  Yet  this  fact  has  never  been  ac- 
counted unto  the  slave  owners  of  the  South  for 
righteousness,  and  it  is  a  shame  to  the  rest  of 
the  world  that  it  has  not  been  recognized  at 
its  worth. 

Nobody  is  disposed  nowadays  to  apologize 
for  African  slavery  in  the  South,  or  to  regret 
its  extermination.  Nobody  rejoices  in  its  abo- 
lition more  sincerely  than  do  the  men  and 
women  of  the  South.  But  the  fact  remains, 
to  the  credit  of  those  men  and  women  of  the 
South,  that  there  never  was  on  earth  a  laboring 
population  so  well  paid  or  so  happy  as  the  ne- 
groes were.  From  infancy  to  old  age  they 
were  secure  of  plenty  to  eat,  plenty  to  wear, 
and  a  good  roof  over  their  heads,  with  medical 
attendance  and  the  gentlest  of  nursing  in  the 
event  of  illness.  Whatever  of  distress  and 
terror  hard  times  might  bring  upon  laborers 
elsewhere,  the  negro  on  a  Virginia  plantation 


180   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

had  no  occasion  to  share.  There  was  meat  in 
the  smokehouse  and  corn  in  the  crib,  and  if 
these  fell  short,  the  master's  credit  would  sup- 
ply the  need. 

But  Richmond  had  a  population  of  much 
poorer  sort  —  white  men,  white  women  and 
white  children,  who  were  dependent  upon  daily 
wages  for  daily  sustenance,  as  under  freedom 
scores  of  thousands  of  negroes  are  to-day, 
whose  fathers  and  grandfathers  under  the  old 
patriarchal  system  never  in  their  lives  knew 
what  it  was  to  wonder  where  the  next  meal 
was  to  come  from. 

In  Richmond,  in  the  hard  winter  of  1857—8, 
the  suffering  among  the  poor  was  great  and 
many  things  were  done  by  generous  men  and 
women  to  alleviate  it. 

Prominently  active  among  these  ministers 
of  mercy,  was  a  gracious  gentlewoman,  Mrs. 
Albemarle.  Her  wealth  was  by  no  means 
great,  but  her  social  position  was  supreme. 
With  compassionate  thought  she  decided  that 
she  would  make  of  her  social  dominance  a 
ministry  to  the  poor.  It  was  her  custom  to 
give  all  sorts  of  entertainments  and  functions 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  (i8i 

in  the  parlors  of  her  spacious  home.  For  this 
year,  she  announced  to  all  her  friends,  she 
would  give  no  entertainment  of  any  kind  that 
was  not  tributary  to  the  needs  of  those  who 
suffered  by  reason  of  the  hard  times.  She 
would  entertain  even  more  lavishly  than  be- 
fore, but  those  who  enjoyed  her  hospitality 
must  pay  for  it  in  tribute  to  those  in  need.  If 
she  gave  a  little  dance  every  man  invited  to 
it  must  pay  a  fair  price  for  himself  and  an 
equal  price  for  each  lady  he  might  ask  to  have 
invited  with  him.  Success  in  this  way  encour- 
aged the  gracious  gentlewoman  to  a  still  larger 
activity.  She  decided  —  as  her  three  large 
parlors,  opening-  into  each  other,  afforded  an 
ample  auditorium  —  to  give  some  amateur 
theatricals  in  the  cause  of  charity.  She  was 
a  wise  dame,  informed  to  her  finger  tips  as  to 
human  vanity,  and  in  so  good  a  cause  she  was 
willing  to  play  upon  it.  She  knew  scores  of 
young  people  who  wanted  to  appear  upon  the 
stage  as  amateur  actors.  Very  well.  A 
small  contribution  to  the  charitable  fund  would 
secure  a  part  for  any  young  man  or  young 
woman  who  might  demonstrate  ability  to  ren- 


1 82   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

der  the  part  well  —  but  to  no  others.  Mrs. 
Albemarle  was  determined  that  her  guests 
should  have  their  money's  worth  and  that  her 
"  dramatics  "  should  be  altogether  capable  in 
their  rendering.  Guests  were  admitted  only 
upon  invitation  and  invitations  were  open  only 
to  those  who  were  socially  eligible.  But  each 
guest  was  expected  to  contribute  substantially 
to  the  compassionate  purpose  with  which  the 
entertainment  was  given. 

As  the  glory  of  being  Mrs.  Albemarle's 
guest  on  this  conspicuous  occasion  was  coveted 
as  a  thing  of  vital  moment  to  every  one  who 
aspired  to  social  recognition,  the  filling  of  her 
three  great  parlors  was  so  certain  in  advance 
that  its  perplexing  details  had  need  to  trouble 
no  one  except  the  young  girls  whom  she  had 
pressed  into  service  for  the  occasion. 

Woodlands  lay  within  a  dozen  or  fifteen 
miles  of  Richmond,  and  Mrs.  Albemarle  held 
it  to  be  well  within  her  jurisdiction.  She  had 
entertained  Valorie  as  a  guest  on  more  than 
one  previous  occasion,  and  she  knew  of  the 
girl's  superb  accomplishments  as  a  musician. 
With  shrewd  foresight  she  enlisted  Valorie  as 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    183 

one  of  the  chief  of  her  coadjutors  in  the  char- 
itable enterprise.  Valorie  not  only  promised 
to  play  on  the  occasion,  in  a  letter,  enclosing 
Colonel  Shenstone's  check  for  a  hundred  dol- 
lars in  aid  of  the  fund,  without  mentioning  it, 
but  she  offered  also  to  help  in  drilling  the  oth- 
ers, a  function  for  which  she  was  peculiarly 
equipped  because  of  the  unusual  sort  of  train- 
ing she  had  received  at  the  convent  —  of 
which  more  anon. 

For  two  weeks  before  the  performance,  Va- 
lorie lived  at  Mrs.  Albemarle's,  Colonel  Shen- 
stone's health  being  now  restored.  There  was 
present  a  stage  manager  whom  Mrs.  Albemarle 
had  hired  from  Kunkel  &  Moxley's  Richmond 
Theatre,  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Broad 
streets,  and  also  the  premier  d-anseuse  of  the 
theatre,  Miss  Jennie  Hight,  whose  father  was 
at  once  scenic  artist  and  low  comedian  in  that 
establishment.  In  those  days  every  "  provin- 
cial "  theatre  maintained  a  very  capable  stock 
company,  a  company  so  complete  and  so  able 
that  it  could  by  itself  present  plays  of  every 
kind  from  tragedy  to  farce.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom to  employ  as  "  stars  "  all  the  great  actors 


184  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

in  the  land  each  for  a  week  or  two  weeks,  as 
the  case  might  be.  The  stock  company  was 
expected  to  "  support "  the  star  in  any  and 
every  play  included  in  his  or  her  repertoire. 
The  theatre  maintained  a  scenic  artist  of  its 
own,  who  also  had  a  playing  part  in  the  com- 
pany. He  was  expected  to  produce  all  needed 
scenery  for  each  star's  repertoire  and  to  appear 
as  an  actor  in  each  piece.  Every  theatre  also 
maintained  a  stage  carpenter  and  a  costumer 
of  its  own  and  these  also  were  actors  who  must 
fill  parts  when  necessary. 

It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  to  begin 
early  and  give  two  or  three  plays  of  an  even- 
ing —  usually  a  tragedy  or  a  romantic  drama, 
followed  by  a  three  or  four-act  comedy,  with 
a  roaring  farce  to  complete  the  entertainment. 
The  highest  price  of  admission,  authorizing 
one  to  take  the  best  seat  he  could  find  unoccu- 
pied, was  half  a  dollar,  and  it  was  the  conscien- 
tious endeavor  of  the  management  to  give  the 
audience  its  money's  worth.  Therefore  in  ad- 
dition to  the  three  plays,  the  chief  ones  acted 
by  such  "  stars  "  as  Edwin  Booth,  Joseph  Jef- 
ferson, J.  S.  Clark,  Maggie  Mitchell,  Fanny 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   185 

Morant,  Laura  Keene,  and  their  like,  there  was 
always  a  dance  and  often  a  song  between  the 
several  plays,  and  sometimes  also  between  the 
acts  of  the  principal  plays.  By  way  of  provid- 
ing for  this,  every  theatre  that  accounted  itself 
of  the  first  class,  maintained  a  premiere  dan- 
seuse  of  real  gifts  and  a  well  trained  ballet, 
the  members  of  which  rendered  themselves  ad- 
ditionally useful  by  coming  on  the  stage  as 
peasants  or  populace  or  what  not,  when  the 
exigencies  of  a  play  required  such  presence. 

Old  Joe  Hight  was  scenic  artist  and  low 
comedian  at  Kunkel  &  Moxley's.  His  daugh- 
ter Jennie  was  premiere  danseuse. 

Mrs.  Albemarle,  who  did  nothing  by  halves, 
had  engaged  Jennie  Hight  to  dance  a  pas  seul 
at  her  entertainment,  so  timing  it  that  the  girl 
might  drive  from  the  theatre  after  her  first 
performance  there  and  drive  back  again  in  time 
for  the  next. 

There  were  morning  rehearsals,  of  course. 
Otherwise  the  young  student  from  Richmond 
College,  who  had  undertaken  the  leading  role 
in  an  act  from  "  Richard  Third,"  and  with 
great  impartiality,  the  leading  role  in  an  act 


186   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

from  "  School  for  Scandal,"  besides  a  part  in 
"  Good  for  Nothing  Nan,"  would  never  have 
been  able  to  teach  the  other  volunteers  of  the 
company  how  to  speak  their  lines. 

At  these  rehearsals,  Valorie,  who  knew  far 
more  about  music  than  the  orchestra  leader 
did,  devoted  herself  mainly  to  the  work  of  get- 
ting the  music  into  fit  condition.  She  gave  a 
new  orchestration  to  many  of  the  numbers, 
and  diligently  drilled  the  performers  in  the 
proper  rendering  of  their  scores. 

Her  own  personal  part  in  the  performance 
was  to  be  the  rendering  of  some  obligates  on 
the  harp,  violin  and  piano,  but  in  her  loyalty  to 
Mrs.  Albemarle  —  and  her  still  greater  loy- 
alty to  art  —  she  did  what  she  could  to  bring 
every  part  of  the  performance  to  perfection. 
When  at  rehearsal,  Jennie  Hight  went 
through  with  her  pas  seul,  Valorie  detected 
flaws  in  it.  In  the  course  of  the  peculiar  train- 
ing given  to  her  in  the  convent  with  an  ulte- 
rior purpose,  she  had  been  drilled  in  this  par- 
ticular pas  seul  until  she  was  ankle  perfect 
and  toe  perfect  in  every  step  of  it.  Jennie 
Right's  rendering  was  imperfect  at  many 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    187 

points,  and,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  success 
of  Mrs.  Albemarle's  entertainment,  Valorie 
went  to  Jennie's  rather  unlovely  quarters  day 
after  day  to  instruct  her. 

On  the  evening  of  the  entertainment  Jennie 
Hight  arrived  on  time  and  proceeded  hastily 
to  don  her  dancing  costume,  which  by  Mrs. 
Albemarle's  direction,  had  been  so  far  length- 
ened as  to  its  skirts  as  to  reach  nearly  to  her 
ankles. 

While  she  was  dressing,  however,  there 
came  a  hurried  messenger  from  the  theatre, 
bearing  the  news  that  old  Joe  Hight  had  fallen 
from  the  flies,  where  he  had  been  arranging 
scenic  effects,  and  had  sustained  injuries  that 
were  believed  to  be  fatal. 

Jennie  had  no  other  relative  in  all  the  world 
than  this  old  father  of  hers,  and  her  devotion 
to  him  was  absolute.  She  instantly  began 
stripping  off  her  dancing  costume,  while  the 
stage  manager  tore  his  hair  and  bewailed 
the  necessity  he  was  under  of  going  before  the 
curtain,  calling  off  the  dance  and  dampening 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  audience  by  announcing 
the  tragic  mishap. 


1 88   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Don't  do  it !  "  said  Valorie.  "  Don't  say 
anything  at  all  to  the  audience.  With  a  little 
pinning  I  can  wear  Miss  Right's  costume,  and 
I  will  dance  the  pas  seuL" 

Without  waiting  for  a  word  of  reply,  she 
caressed  the  danseuse  saying :  "  I'm  so  sorry, 
Jennie !  I'll  call  early  in  the  morning,"  and 
proceeded  hurriedly  to  don  the  dancing 
clothes. 

There  was  a  little  delay,  over  which  the 
audience  grew  somewhat  impatient.  But, 
after  a  brief  while  the  curtain  went  up  and 
without  a  word  of  explanation  Valorie  Page 
floated  out  upon  the  stage  and  rendered  the  pas 
seul  in  a  fashion  far  more  graceful  than  any 
that  Jenny  Hight  could  have  given  to  it.\t. 
Especially  in  the  toe  walking  part  of  it,  the 
girl  excelled  anything  the  audience  had  ever 
seen.  Her  dancing  master  at  the  convent  had 
discovered  what  he  called  "  genius  in  her 
ankles,"  and  had  made  the  most  of  it  by  per- 
sistent drilling* 

The  dancing  excited  the  wildest  enthusiasm. 
But  that  was  by  no  means  all  of  it.  It  was 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    189 

Jennie  Hight  that  the  company  had  expected 
to  see  and  it  was  not  Jennie  Hight  who  ap- 
peared. Those  of  the  company  who  were  ac- 
customed to  attend  the  theatre  knew  Jennie 
Right's  gifts  and  better  still  they  knew  her 
limitations.  She  was  a  good  danseuse,  but  by 
no  means  a  great  one.  The  danseuse  on  the 
stage  was  a  great  one  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  term,  and  her  greatness  was  emphasized  by 
the  fact  that  her  dancing  was  done  without 
the  adventitious  aid  of  excessively  abbreviated 
skirts.  To  the  theatre  goers  it  was  a  revela- 
tion that  a  woman  modestly  attired  with  skirts 
hanging  to  the  level  of  her  shoe  tops,  could  put 
even  more  of  the  poetry  of  motion  into  a  pas 
seul  than  could  the  professional  danseuse,  with 
knees  exposed  and  an  array  of  flummery  above 
the  knees. 

There  were  many  in  the  audience  who  had 
conscientious  scruples  about  attending  the 
theatre,  and  these  had  rejoiced  in  an  oppor- 
tunity to  see  a  professional  danseuse  without 
offending  pastors  and  masters  by  entering  the 
portals  of  a  playhouse.  These  were  disap- 


I9o   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

pointed  when  they  discovered  that  the  dancer 
was  not  the  "  professional "  whom  they  had 
come  to  see  but  an  amateur. 

It  had  been  Valerie's  confident  expectation 
that  when  she  appeared  in  Jennie  Right's  cos- 
tume to  do  Jennie  Right's  dance,  she  would 
be  taken  for  Jennie  Hight.  But  Jennie  had 
straight  and  intensely  black  hair,  with  a  white 
skin  and  small  glittering  eyes;  while  Valorie 
had  brown  hair  with  much  of  curl  in  it,  and 
large,  deep  blue  eyes,  the  blueness  of  which 
was  in  no  wise  disguised  by  the  length  of  her 
copper-colored  eyelashes.  So  instantly  the 
habitual  theatre-goers  discovered  the  substitu- 
tion, and  knowledge  of  it  quickly  spread  among 
the  rest. 

At  the  end  of  the  dance  there  was  clamorous 
applause,  but  there  were  also  a  few  distinct 
hisses  of  disapprobation.  These  were  in- 
tended to  express  disapproval  —  an  entirely 
unreasoning  and  unreasonable  disapproval,  but 
a  disapproval  none  the  less  pronounced  on  that 
account  —  of  the  appearance  of  a  gentle- 
woman in  such  a  part  under  any  conceivable 
circumstances.  Not  that  the  persons  who 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    191 

hissed  could  have  offered  any  rational  argu- 
ment in  condemnation  of  what  had  been  done 
—  for  they  could  not  —  but  merely  that  their 
absurd  and  illogical  sense  of  social  propriety 
was  offended.  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  ac- 
curate to  say  that  their  desire  to  pose  as  the 
exclusive  and  conspicuous  guardians  of  pro- 
priety prompted  them  to  condemnation  with- 
out any  thinking  at  all. 

But  the  hisses,  few  as  they  were  acted  like 
a  match  to  gunpowder.  Those  who  admired 
and  applauded  were  ten  to  one  in  numbers  and 
fifty  to  one  superior  in  social  influence.  They 
accepted  the  hissing  as  a  challenge  to  them- 
selves and  they  met  it  as  such.  They  re- 
doubled their  acclafrn  and  refused  to  abate 
their  demonstration  of  approval.  Three  times 
the  stage  manager  tried  to  raise  the  curtain 
on  the  next  number  of  the  programme  and 
three  times  he  was  compelled  by  the  clamor  to 
lower  it  again.  He  took  Valerie's  hand  and 
led  her  out  before  the  curtain  to  make  her  bow 
of  acknowledgment  and  on  every  occasion  of 
the  kind  the  audience  refused  to  be  satisfied. 
The  excited  guests  were  determined  to  make 


192   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

their  demonstration  of  approval  complete  and 
overwhelming.  Without  fear  even  of  Mrs. 
Albemarle  herself,  they  cried  encore,  encore, 
encore,  until  the  stage  manager  saw  no  escape. 
Hastily  stripping  the  stage  of  its  furnishings 
for  another  number,  and  dumping  a  throne 
and  two  showcases  of  crown  jewels  into  the 
wings,  he  ordered  the  orchestra  to  play  the 
dance  music  again,  saying  earnestly  to  Val- 
orie: 

"  You  must  give  it  again.  You  must. 
You  must.  Otherwise  they'll  mob  us." 

The  unkindly  hisses  had  brought  tears  to 
Valorie's  eyes,  but  she  angrily  brushed  them 
away  and  still  more  angrily  made  up  her  mind 
to  do  the  dance  with  more  than  ever  of  that 
abandon  which  makes  the  fortune  of  such  a 
performance.  When,  near  the  end  of  it,  she 
came  to  the  part  where  she  must  glide  forward 
to  the  footlights  upon  the  extreme  points  of  her 
steel-tipped  toes,  there  were  two  or  three  hisses 
heard,  and  a  new  impulse  seized  upon  the  girl. 
Putting  all  of  resolution  that  she  possessed 
into  those  eloquent  ankles  of  hers  and,  with 
severe  muscular  effort,  standing  still  upon  the 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    193 

extreme  points  of  her  dancing  shoes,  she  broke 
forth  in  an  address  to  the  audience. 

"  Miss  Right's  father  is  dying,"  she  said. 
"  She  had  to  go  to  him,  and  could  not  give 
the  dance.  I  have  given  it  in  her  stead  in  or- 
der that  the  audience  might  not  lose  it.  If  I 
have  done  wrong  I  am  sorry,  but  — "  at  that 
moment  the  applause  broke  out  more  violently 
than  ever,  because  Mrs.  Albemarle  had  hur- 
riedly made  her  way  to  the  back  and  had  come 
to  the  footlights  to  stand  by  Valerie's  side  and 
to  lend  to  her  the  countenance  and  support  of 
the  grandest  dame  in  Richmond  society.  Her 
presence  was  not  only  a  rebuke  to  those  who 
had  hissed ;  it  was  a  positively  explosive  stim- 
ulus to  those  who  were  applauding,  and  the 
walls  shook  in  echo  to  their  vociferation. 

With  muscles  strained  to  the  point  of  break- 
ing, Valorie,  still  standing  upon  her  tiptoes, 
bowed  and,  with  a  supreme  effort,  tiptoed  to 
the  wings  and  disappeared.  Colonel  Shen- 
stone,  fearing  consequences,  had  hurriedly  sent 
Greg  Tazewell  to  the  exit  and  it  was  into  his 
arms  that  she  fell  exhausted  and  fainting  when 
the  ordeal  was  over. 


194   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

When  quiet  was  restored  the  queenly  figure 
of  Mrs.  Albemarle,  with  head  erect  and  with 
restrained  but  manifest  indignation  flashing 
from  her  eyes,  walked  to  the  footlights  and 
stood  there  in  awe-inspiring  silence  for  a  space. 
At  last  she  said : 

"  Certain  persons  in  the  audience,  invited 
guests  of  mine,  have  seen  fit  to  hiss  a  perform- 
ance most  generously  given  in  an  emergency 
by  a  young  lady  whom  I  hold  in  tender  affec- 
tion and  the  very  highest  esteem.  I  shall  take 
it  as  a  favor  if  every  one  who  did  so  will  have 
the  courage  to  notify  me  of  the  fact.  It  is  my 
purpose  to  revise  my  visiting  list,  and  I  wish  to 
strike  from  it  the  names  of  all  those  who  have 
been  guilty  of  this  monstrous  affront  to  my 
hospitality." 

The  utterance  fell  like  a  bombshell.  It  was 
instantly  followed  by  an  outbreak  of  applause. 
Three  or  four  of  the  most  conspicuous  hissers, 
feeling  certain  that  Mrs.  Albemarle  already 
knew  of  their  guilt,  had  the  grace  to  retire 
without  seeking  to  take  leave  of  their  hostess. 
The  rest  remained,  trying  to  look  innocent; 
for  as  everybody  in  Richmond  knew,  to  be  in 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    195 

Mrs.  Albemarle's  bad  books,  was  to  be  socially 
non-existent  in  the  capital  city  of  the  common- 
wealth. But  the  glances  of  recognition  and 
rebuke  which  others  shot  at  them  were  quite 
sufficient  for  the  affronted  hostess's  purpose. 
Before  she  quitted  her  place  in  front  of  the 
footlights  she  had  a  complete  catalogue  in 
her  mind  of  those  whom  she  intended  on  the 
morrow  to  banish  from  society  in  punishment 
of  their  sin. 


XXI 

VALORIE  was  not  a  young  woman  of 
the  habitually  fainting  sort,  but  her 
nerves  were  unstrung,  her  muscular 
power  exhausted,  and  her  strength  gone  for 
the  moment.  Almost  instantly  she  revived  — 
the  more  quickly  perhaps  because  she  had 
fallen  into  Greg  Tazewell's  arms,  and  for  rea- 
sons of  her  own  she  did  not  wish  to  rest  there. 
The  duration  of  a  fainting  period  is  often  de- 
termined by  considerations  of  that  kind. 

When  she  freed  herself  and  stood  erect  she 
said: 

"  I  have  nothing  else  to  do  on  the  stage,  I 
think.  Mrs.  Albemarle,  may  I  — " 

"  Yes,  dear,  you  may  go  to  bed  at  once. 
Here  Mary,"  to  a  negro  maid  in  attendance, 
"  take  your  Miss  Valorie  to  her  room." 

At  that  moment  some  foolishly  considerate 
person  brought  the  girl  a  bottle  of  champagne 
,196 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF.  VIRGINIA    197 

and  begged  her  to  swallow  a  glass  of  it.  She 
refused,  and  Greg  Tazewell  emphasized  her  re- 
fusal. 

"  She  doesn't  want  that,"  he  said,  in  the 
peremptory  tone  that  the  physician  has  some- 
times to  adopt.  "  Take  it  away.  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle,  will  you  kindly  direct  that  a  hot  bath  — 
as  hot  as  she  can  stand  —  shall  be  prepared 
for  Miss  Page,  and  that  after  your  maids  shall 
have  got  her  into  night  robes  she  shall  walk 
slowly  twenty-one  times  around  her  room, 
keeping  the  count  for  herself?  By  that  time 
her  bath  will  be  ready,  and  after  it  she  must 
go  instantly  to  bed." 

"Wait  a  moment,  Doctor,"  said  Valorie. 
"  I  want  you  to  go  to  Jennie  Right  as  quickly 
as  you  can.  Find  out  how  badly  her  father 
is  hurt;  do  everything  you  can  for  him  and 
then  come  back  here,  please,  or  send  me  word. 
I  shall  not  sleep  till  I  hear  your  report  of 
him." 

Tazewell  set  out  at  once  upon  this  mission. 
As  he  was  leaving,  Mrs.  Albemarle  asked: 

"  Is  it  necessary  to  count  those  rounds  of 
her  room  exactly?  I  don't  quite  understand." 


198  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Albemarle,"  he  replied, 
"  neither  the  bath  nor  the  counting  of  the 
rounds  is  of  any  consequence  whatever  —  in 
itself.  My  purpose  is  simply  to  divert  her 
mind  to  other  than  exciting  thoughts,  so  that 
she  may  sleep.  If  you  think  of  any  other  de- 
vice in  aid  of  such  diversion  of  her  mind,  pray 
order  it  and  you  have  my  full  authority  to  say 
I  directed  you  to  do  so.  Challenge  her  ability 
to  count  a  thousand  backward.  Insist  that  she 
can't  repeat  the  Lord's  prayer.  Raise  a  doubt 
as  to  her  ability  to  conjugate  a  French  verb. 
Do  anything  and  everything  you  can  think  of 
to  divert  her  mind  from  the  events  of  the  even- 
ing. Within  half  an  hour  I  shall  come  back 
telling  her  that  Joe  Right's  injuries  are  very 
slight  and  that  Jennie  is  asleep." 

"  But  suppose  you  don't  find  that  to  be  the 
case  ?  " 

"  Then  I  shall  lie  like  a  gentleman,  for  the 
sake  of  her  sleep,  and  it  will  be  time  enough 
to  take  it  all  back  after  she  wakes." 

Mrs.  Albemarle  looked  curiously  at  him. 
After  a  moment  she  said : 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    199 

"  It  will  be  a  very  long  time  before  I  strike 
the  name  of  Greg  Tazewell  off  my  visiting 
list." 

"  I  sincerely  hope  so,"  he  replied,  as  he  but- 
toned his  overcoat  and  passed  out  of  the  door. 

Half  an  hour  later  he  returned  and  to  Mrs. 
Albemarle  he  said: 

"  Fortunately,  there  is  no  occasion  to  lie, 
either  like  a  gentleman  or  like  a  pickpocket. 
Joe  Right's  arm  is  broken  in  one  of  its  bones, 
but  it  has  been  very  skillfully  set  by  a  young 
doctor.  He  has  sustained  no  other  injuries  of 
the  smallest  consequence.  So  you  can  bid 
your  patient  sleep  at  ease.  Has  she  had  her 
bath?" 

"  She  is  just  coming  out  of  it." 

"  Very  well.  Get  her  to  bed  quickly.  Don't 
let  anybody  give  her  champagne  or  any  other 
fool  thing  of  that  exciting  kind.  Keep  her 
mind  off  the  events  of  the  evening,  and  let  her 
sleep  as  long  as  she  can.  With  your  permis- 
sion I  will  wait  in  the  '  banquet  hall  deserted  ' 
until  you  can  report  that  she  sleeps." 

"  No,  you  must  go  into  Jack's  —  I  mean 


200   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Judge  Albemarle's — snuggery  instead.  There's 
an  open  wood  fire  there  and  pipes  and  tobacco. 
I'll  come  to  you  when  she  sleeps." 

The  doctor's  devices  for  the  diversion  of  the 
girl's  mind  proved  successful.  Her  strength 
had  been  taxed  to  the  verge  of  exhaustion, 
and  when  she  heard  the  good  news  as  to  Joe 
Right's  condition,  the  soothing  influence  of  the 
hot  bath  quickly  sent  her  to  sleep. 

Mrs.  Albemarle  reported  the  fact  to  Greg 
Tazewell,  and  he  promptly  took  his  leave. 

When  he  reached  his  room  at  the  Exchange 
Hotel  and  Ballard  House,  a  little  before  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  found  Colonel  Shen- 
stone  awaiting  him  there,  in  as  much  of 
anxiety  as  the  brave  old  soldier  and  lawyer  of 
forty  years'  practice  could  be  expected  to  feel 
in  any  imaginable  circumstances.  As  an  old 
soldier  he  had  an  abiding  faith  in  the  "  fighting 
chance,"  whatever  odds  there  might  be  against 
him.  As  an  old  lawyer  he  justly  regarded 
himself  as  a  man  equipped  to  meet  every  legal 
proceeding  with  an  objection  that  must  at  least 
secure  delay. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    201 

Nevertheless  he  was  uneasy,  and  to  Taze- 
well  he  opened  his  mind. 

"  I  received  a  note  this  evening,"  he  said, 
"  from  a  firm  of  lawyers  whom  I  know,  but 
whom  I  do  not  recognize  as  acquaintances. 
They  are  rascals  altogether,  but  very  shrewd 
rascals,  capable  of  giving  honest  people  a  lot 
of  trouble." 

"What  do  they  want?"  asked  Tazewell, 
whose  diagnostic  impulse  was  always  domi- 
nant. When  he  should  know  what  was  the 
matter  he  would  be  prepared  to  consider  the 
question  of  treatment. 

"  They  want  Valorie,"  answered  the  old 
gentleman,  "  and  they  want  her  for  no  good 
purpose." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  Tell  me  all  about 
it.  Is  it  a  case  for  shotguns  ?  " 

"  At  present,  no.  It  may  become  that  later. 
I  do  not  know." 

"  If  it  does,  of  course  — " 

"  Oh,  of  course.  I  know  your  shotgun  will 
be  ready  and  in  quick  hands.  But  at  present 
it  is  a  case  of  law  and  I  suspect  of  blackmail." 


202   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Tell  me,  please." 

"  I  will.  These  people  formally  notify  me 
that  their  client,  a  Mrs.  Eulalie  Lee,  claims 
to  be  the  mother  of  Valorie,  and  as  such  her 
natural  guardian,  until  she  shall  reach  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years.  They  allege  that  Phil 
Shenstone  kidnapped  the  girl  from  the  con- 
vent in  which  her  mother  had  placed  her ;  and 
I  really  shouldn't  wonder  if  he  did;  that  she 
is  now  held  in  durance  by  me  and  that 'her 
mother  demands  her  immediate  surrender  into 
her  own  keeping." 

"  Is  the  mother  in  Richmond  or  is  she  in 
New  Orleans  awaiting  results  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know.  I  suppose  she  is  here. 
It  makes  no  difference." 

"  Pardon  me,  I  think  it  does.  From  cer- 
tain things  that  Phil  has  let  fall  in  conversa- 
tion I  imagine  that  the  woman  is  a  plain  black- 
mailer, that  her  real  purpose  in  this  case  is  to 
extort  money.  Of  course  you  could  not  in  any 
way  yield  to  a  demand  of  that  sort  — " 

"  Of  course  not,"   interrupted  the  colonel. 

"  But  I,  who  am  in  no  way  connected  with 
the  matter,  might  perhaps  be  able,  with  a  check 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   203 

of  my  own  to  persuade  the  lady  to  go  back  to 
New  Orleans." 

"  Not  a  dollar !  Not  a  cent !  I'll  fight  the 
case  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
if  necessary,  at  my  own  expense,  but  the 
woman  shall  not  have  a  dollar  from  you  or 
anybody  else.  Listen,  Greg!  The  only  thing 
I  fear  is  some  summary  proceeding  like  ha- 
beas corpus.  If  we  can  fight  that  off,  we  can 
keep  the  case  in  court  for  three  years  or  more, 
and  by  that  time  Valorie  will  be  either  of  age 
or  married,  and  in  either  case  her  mother's 
claim  will  be  extinguished.  The  great  trouble 
is  that  Phil  isn't  here,  and  he  has  never  told 
me  all  the  facts.  I  need  them  as  a  ground 
upon  which  to  proceed." 

"  I'll  telegraph  him  to  come.  You  may  be 
sure  he'll  be  here  within  three  days.  Can  we 
stave  off  action  that  long  —  with  legal  pro- 
ceedings or  shotguns  ?  " 

"  I  think  so.  Unfortunately  these  rascals 
know  that  Valorie  is  at  Mrs.  Albemarle's,  and 
may  serve  papers  on  her  there." 

"I'll  take  care  of  that,"  answered  Taze- 
well.  "  Mrs.  Albemarle's  house,  you  know, 


204  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

is  isolated  in  large  grounds  of  its  own.  When 
her  last  guest  leaves  each  night  her  iron  outer 
gates  are  locked,  and  she  turns  Castor  and  Pol- 
lux loose.  They  are  her  silently  savage  bull 
dogs.  They  can  be  implicitly  trusted  to  see 
that  nobody  —  though  backed  by  the  entire 
constabulary  of  the  town  —  shall  pass  within 
that  lofty  iron  fence  during  their  tour  of  duty. 
As  soon  as  they  are  locked  up  in  the  morn- 
ing I  will  call  upon  Mrs.  Albemarle  and  ex- 
plain the  situation.  After  that  you  may  trust 
that  sagacious  and  determined  gentlewoman  to 
protect  Miss  Page.  The  important  thing  now 
is  that  you  shall  go  to  bed.  As  your  attending 
physician,  I  order  that,  peremptorily.  Leave 
the  rest  to  me." 

As  soon  as  the  colonel  retired,  Tazewell 
drew  on  his  overcoat,  walked  through  the  de- 
serted highways  to  the  office  of  the  "  Electro- 
Magnetic  Telegraph,"  in  Pearl  Street,  and 
roused  the  operator.  There  were  no  "  branch 
stations "  in  those  days,  no  district  messen- 
gers, no  arrangements  of  any  kind  by  which 
one  could  send  a  telegram  without  personally 
visiting  the  office  of  the  "  Electro-Magnet- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    205 

ic  Telegraph  Company."  Telegraphing  was 
rather  slow  work,  too,  at  that  time.  Every 
despatch  had  to  be  received  on  paper  and  la- 
boriously repeated  at  every  office  through 
which  it  passed.  The  service  was  costly,  and 
when  Greg  Tazewell  ordered  his  telegram 
sent  to  the  offices  of  Phil  Shenstone's  steam- 
boat company  in  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  St. 
Louis  and  New  Orleans  —  not  knowing  in 
which  of  those  cities  his  friend  might  happen 
to  be  at  that  time, —  the  operator  said : 

"  It'll  spoil  a  ten-dollar  gold  piece  to  do  all 
that,  Doctor." 

"  Very  well.  Here  is  a  twenty-dollar  gold 
piece.  If  you  will  see  to  it  that  these  mes- 
sages go  through  to-night,  and  send  me  word 
at  the  Exchange  Hotel  and  Ballard  House 
that  any  one  of  them  has  been  delivered,  the 
change  is  yours.  Otherwise  I  shall  call  for  it 
in  the  morning.  Do  you  like  oysters?  I'll 
send  in  a  dozen  or  so  and  a  pot  of  coffee  from 
Zetelle's  just  to  keep  you  awake  till  you  get 
the  messages  off.  But  bear  in  mind,  I  expect 
to  receive  your  report  in  the  early  morn- 
ing that  one  or  other  of  the  messages  has 


206   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

been  delivered  into  Mr.  Shenstone's  hands." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Dr.  Tazewell  was  awak- 
ened before  five  o'clock  by  the  telegraph  oper- 
ator bearing  a  despatch  from  Phil  Shenstone 
in  Cincinnati,  which  assured  him  that  his 
friend  was  leaving  on  the  first  train  and  would 
be  in  Richmond  within  thirty-six  hours. 

Tazewell  arose  at  once,  dressed  himself  and 
without  breakfast,  went  to  Mrs.  Albemarle's, 
where  without  hesitation  he  sent  a  message  to 
her  that  robbed  her  of  at  least  two  hours'  sleep. 

When  she  appeared  he  briefly  explained  the 
situation,  adding: 

"  I  know  nothing  of  legal  processes,  but  I 
understand  that  our  greatest  danger  lies  in 
the  possibility  that  some  law  officer  or  bailiff 
shall  gain  access  to  Miss  Page  and  serve  some 
sort  of  process  upon  her.  Now  I  want  to  give 
you  a  physician's  certificate  — " 

"  It  will  not  be  necessary,"  answered  the 
grand  dame.  "  I  know  how  to  protect  my 
house.  I  will  see  to  it  that  no  bailiff  shall 
reach  her  even  though  he  comes  as  Napoleon 
said  of  Madame  de  Stae'l,  *  disguised  as  a 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   207 

"  What  will  you  do  ?  " 

"  Send  for  my  knights-errant,  the  Rich- 
mond College  boys.  They'll  cut  lectures  and 
quizzes  and  everything  else  to  serve  me.  I'll 
fill  the  place  full  of  them,  They'll  break  the 
neck  of  anybody  who  tries  to  force  his  way 
in.  Of  course  I  shall  introduce  all  of  them 
to  Valorie  as  the  damsel  in  distress  whom  they 
are  to  guard,  and  of  course,  they'll  all  fall 
madly  in  love  with  her.  College  boys  always 
do  that  you  know,  and  it  is  good  for  them. 
Leave  all  that  to  me,  and  I  promise  you  and 
Colonel  Shenstone  that  nobody  shall  get  at  Va- 
lorie while  you  await  Phil's  return.  But  you 
and  he  must  let  me  know  when  the  time  is  up, 
for  I'm  going  to  complete  last  night's  work  by 
giving  a  special  reception  to  my  friends  '  to 
meet  Miss  Valorie  Page,  of  Woodlands.' 
You're  a  doctor.  You  know  how  necessary  it 
is,  when  administering  a  liniment,  to  '  rub  it 
in.'  I'm  simply  going  to  *  rub  it  in/-" 

"  Mrs.  Albemarle,  you  are  simply  great !  " 

"  Why  do  you  persist  in  calling  me  Mrs. 
Albemarle  ?  Why  don't  you  call  me  '  Cousin 
Mattie  ?  '  You  know  your  ever  so  many  times 


208  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

great-grandfather  Adam,  married  my  ever  so 
many  times  great-grandmother,  Eve,  and  so 
we  are  cousins.  If  you  persist  in  ignoring  the 
kinship,  I  shall  quarrel  with  you,  and  I  don't 
want  to  do  that,  because  I  like  you,  Greg  Taze- 
well.  Now  you  must  run  away.  I  haven't 
any  breakfast  for  you  because  the  cook  got 
that  champagne  that  you  wouldn't  let  Valorie 
drink  last  night.  It's  your  own  fault,  but  I've 
no  doubt  you're  responsible  for  many  much 
greater  sins,  so  I'll  forgive  you  if  you'll  go 
away  at  once  and  leave  me  free  to  send  my 
summons  to  the  college  boys.  But  you  must 
come  back  to  dinner  at  four  o'clock.  Good- 
bye. No  excuses  accepted.  My  word  must  be 
law.  Go  away." 

Tazewell  was  glad  enough  to  obey.  He 
wanted  a  few  additional  hours  of  sleep,  and 
he  knew  that  Colonel  Shenstone  would  be  at 
his  rooms  pretty  early  in  the  morning  to  learn 
the  result  of  his  proceedings.  Besides  he 
hadn't  had  his  bath  as  yet  and  was  really  not 
ready  for  his  breakfast.  And  in  addition  to 
all  this  he  was  eager  to  tell  Colonel  Shen- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   209 

stone  of  Mrs.  Albemarle's  amusing  idea  of 
"  rubbing  it  in,"  a  thing  he  highly  approved, 
both  as  a  man  of  medicine  and  as  a  mere  man. 
It  was  Mrs.  Albemarle's  habit  to  do  things 
in  a  way  that  secured  the  approval  of  those 
for  whose  approval  she  cared.  She  was  a 
"  thoroughbred  "  in  the  fullest  significance  of 
the  term. 


XXII 

WHEN  Colonel  Shenstone  appeared  in 
Greg  Tazewell's  room  early  in  the 
morning,  the  doctor  was  taking  his 
breakfast  there.  It  was  not  a  customary 
thing  in  those  days  for  hotel  guests  to  take 
their  meals  in  their  rooms,  and  hotel  proprie- 
tors did  their  best  to  prevent  the  introduction 
of  the  custom  into  American  hotel  life  —  a 
tendency  which  a  universal  reading  of  Dick- 
ens's  novels  strongly  fostered.  By  way  of 
checking  it  the  hotel  people  printed  on  their 
bills  of  fare  —  the  French  word  menu  had  not 
come  into  use  then  —  and  on  the  posted  "  rules 
of  the  house,"  a  legend  in  conspicuous  type, 
with  two  amputated  human  hands,  pointing  to 
its  two  ends,  saying: 

"2SPA11  meals  served  in  rooms  will  be 
charged  extra.  «=fi5|" 

But  Greg  Tazewell  was  a  young  man  who 
210 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   211 

had  lived  abroad,  and  had  there  learned  some- 
thing of  the  importance  of  comfort  and  leisure 
and  quietude  at  meals,  especially  to  a  man  who 
has  been  under  wakefully  emotional  strain  all 
night.  More  important  still,  he  was  a  man 
who  held  money  to  be  a  mere  tool,  a  means  to 
an  end,  and  as  his  own  command  of  money  — 
though  he  was  not  a  very  rich  man  —  was 
comfortably  adequate,  he  had  no  mind  to  be 
diverted  from  his  comfort  and  quietude  and 
leisure  by  the  printed  warnings  or  threats  of 
his  landlord. 

So  he  had  daringly  ordered  his  breakfast 
served  in  the  outer  one  of  his  two  rooms,  in 
front  of  a  cannel  coal  fire  which,  he  was  also 
under  warning,  would  be  "  charged  extra." 

"  I  hope  you  have  not  had  your  breakfast, 
Colonel  ?  "  said  the  young  man. 

"  No.  Not  yet.  I'm  going  down  to  it 
after  I've  had  my  talk  with  you." 

"  You're  not  going  to  do  anything  of  the 
sort.  You're  going  to  have  it  with  me,  com- 
fortably, in  front  of  the  fire,"  answered  the 
younger  man,  rising  from  his  chair,  climbing 
over  the  divan  and  pulling  the  bell  cord. 


212    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"Why  bother  to  order  more?"  asked  the 
old  gentleman,  scanning  the  table.  "  You 
have  a  goodly  supply  of  beefsteak  —  let  me 
share  it." 

"  Peremptorily,  no.  You're  limping  again 
this  morning.  I  forbid  red  meat.  I'll  order 
you  a  roe  herring,  or  a  piece  of  broiled  shad 
—  the  fish  have  just  swum  into  the  river  —  or 
some  broiled  bacon  and  dry  toast,  but  you 
simply  must  not  eat  beefsteak,  if  you  are  to 
be  in  condition  to  fight  out  this  controversy." 

"Why  not  let  me  fall  ill?  On  your  pro- 
fessional certificate  we  could  stave  those  ras- 
cals off  for  a  week  or  two  —  long  enough  at 
least  to  let  Phil  get  here." 

"  Phil  will  be  here  within  thirty-six  hours. 
There  is  his  telegram.  As  for  '  staving  off,' 
you  may  trust  Mrs.  Albemarle  for  that.  She 
has  undertaken  the  job,  and  you  know  that 
that  gracious  and  altogether  glorious  lady 
bountiful  is  not  accustomed  to  fail  or  falter  in 
anything  she  undertakes.  But  just  now  you 
simply  must  not  eat  even  an  ounce  of  red 
meat." 

"  All  right.     I'll  take  toast  and  tea  then, — 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   213 

that's  the  regular  diet  I  believe, —  only  I'll  beg 
you  to  make  it  coffee  instead  of  tea.  Nobody 
but  a  hardened  and  confirmed  Englishman 
could  stand  tea  for  breakfast.  But  now  about 
Mrs.  Albemarle.  I've  just  sent  her  a  note 
asking  her  to  consider  her  present  possession 
of  Val  as  one  adverse  to  me.  That's  a  legal 
phrase.  What  it  means  is  that  she  refuses  to 
give  Val  up  to  me  or  in  any  way  to  recognize 
any  right  on  my  part  to  control  her  person  or 
her  movements,  until  such  time  as  I  shall  have 
established  my  right  by  legal  process.  Do  you 
understand?" 

"  I  think  I  do.  It  means  that  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle shall  hold  possession  of  her  as  long  as 
you  think  necessary  so  that  you  may  reply 
'  non  possumus' — that's  plural,  but  let  it  go 
- —  to  any  writ  or  paper  that  may  be  served 
upon  you  demanding  her  delivery." 

"  Precisely !  Excellent !  You'd  have  made 
a  lawyer,  Greg,  if  you  hadn't  been  lured  into 
another  profession.  Now  just  as  soon  as  you 
and  I  part  after  breakfast,  I'm  going  back  to 
Woodlands.  I  have  sent  a  note  to  those 
precious  rascals,  telling  them  that  my  office 


2i4   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

as  well  as  my  residence  is  there,  and  that  if 
they  have  any  business  with  me,  they  must  call 
upon  me  there.  That  will  mean  one  day's  de- 
lay, I  suppose,  or  it  would  if  they  were  gen- 
tlemen who  used  horses  for  traveling.  As 
they  are  not,  I  suppose  they'll  come  by  rail, 
and  if  they  take  the  half  past  ten  train,  this 
morning,  confound  it,  they'll  be  there  nearly 
as  soon  as  I  myself  shall." 

It  proved  to  be  so.  Colonel  Shenstone  had 
just  limped  into  the  house  and  settled  himself 
in  an  easy  chair  before  the  fire,  when  Mr. 
Stone,  the  senior  partner  of  the  opposing  law 
firm,  presented  himself  in  the  porch. 

There  were  well-recognized  distinctions  and 
discriminations  in  Virginia  hospitality  in  that 
stately  and  well-ordered  old  time.  When  the 
master  of  a  mansion  recognized  a  visitor  as  a 
gentleman,  all  the  penetralia  were  freely 
thrown  open  to  him.  He  was  asked  into  par- 
lor and  dining  room,  and  upon  occasion,  even 
into  the  sacred  precincts  of  "  the  chamber." 
When  one  came  on  business  whom  the  master 
of  the  mansion  did  not  recognize  as  his  social 
equal,  the  hospitality  was  more  rigorously  re- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    215 

stricted.  If  it  were  summer  the  stranger  was 
received  in  the  porch.  If  it  were  winter  he 
was  invited  into  the  great  hall,  as  was  done 
in  this  instance. 

"  Seat  him  in  the  hall,"  Colonel  Shenstone 
said  to  the  servant,  "  and  say  that  I  will  wait 
upon  him  presently." 

The  word  "presently,"  in  that  case,  meant 
at  Colonel  Shenstone's  good  pleasure,  and  it 
was  fully  ten  minutes  by  the  loudly  ticking  hall 
clock  before  the  master  appeared.  When  he 
did  so,  he  said  to  his  guest : 

"  Perhaps  you'd  like  a  dram  after  your  six 
miles'  drive  from  the  station  ?  " 

"  Thank  you,  yes.     I'll  drink  with  you." 

"  Not  with  me,"  answered  the  old  gentle- 
man. "  I  never  take  spirits.  But  my  side- 
board is  hospitable  of  course  to  those  who 
honor  me  by  their  visits.  Henry,  bring  a  de- 
canter, a  sugar  bowl,  and  a  flagon  of  water." 

It  was  observable  that  Colonel  Shenstone 
did  not  order  pipes  and  tobacco.  The  dram 
was  a  matter  of  course  to  all  comers  in  the  Vir- 
ginia of  that  time,  even  though  the  comer  were 
only  a  negro  from  the  fields,  presenting  him- 


216   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

self  to  report  that  the  chinch  bug  had  appeared 
in  the  wheat.  But  the  pipe  was  sacred  to  a 
more  equal  hospitality.  It  was  never  offered 
to  any  but  guests  accepted  as  gentlemen  upon 
terms  of  equality. 

Without  that  offer,  therefore,  Colonel  Shen- 
stone  brought  business  to  the  fore  by  asking, 
with  suave  indifference : 

"  May  I  inquire  to  what  I  am  indebted  for 
your  visit  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  We  sent  you  a  note,  you  re- 
member —" 

"Did  you?" 

"Yes.  Surely  you  remember  it  We  de- 
manded in  behalf  of  our  client,  Mrs.  Eulalie 
Lee,  the  surrender  to  her  of  her  minor,  or  in 
legal  phrase,  *  infant '  daughter,  known  at 
present  as  Valorie  Page  — " 

"  Miss  Valorie  Page,  please." 

"  Yes,  of  course.  You  remember  the  terms 
of  the  note  ?  " 

"  I  remember  nothing  in  this  matter.  Have 
you  any  proof  of  the  contents  of  that  alleged 
note,  or  any  evidence  going  to  show  that  I  ever 
received  it?" 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   217 

"  Why,  I  have  your  answer  to  it.  Surely 
that  is  sufficient." 

"  Will  you  show  it  to  me?  " 

The  lawyer,  utterly  bewildered  by  Colonel 
Shenstone's  attitude,  drew  the  note  from  a 
pocketbook  and  handed  it  to  its  author. 
Colonel  Shenstone  polished  his  eyeglasses,  and 
adjusted  them  to  his  nose.  Then  he  read  his 
own  note  to  the  lawyers,  and  said : 

"  I  find  no  reference  in  this  note  to  any 
antecedent  communication  from  you  or  your 
firm.  I  find  only  this : 

"'Dear  Sirs:  My  residence  is  at  Woodlands, 
and  my  office  also  is  there.  If  you  have  occasion 
to  discuss  any  matters  of  legal  import  with  me,  I 
must  trouble  you  to  call  upon  me  there.' 

"  There  is  no  reference  to  any  communica- 
tion from  you,  and,  as  the  note  bears  no  ad- 
dress except  '  Dear  Sirs,'  there  is  absolutely 
nothing  to  show  that  it  was  addressed  to  your 
firm." 

"  But  surely,  Colonel  Shenstone,  you  must 
admit  — " 

"  I  admit  whatever  is  proved,  and  absolutely 
nothing  else.  Proceed  if  you  please." 


2i8  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

The  man  was  discomfited,  but  he  was  a 
shrewd  man  of  law,  and  he  did  not  despair. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said.  "  I  do  not  insist 
upon  the  fact  that  we  have  previously  com- 
municated with  you.  It  is  unimportant.  I 
make  the  communication  now.  You  have  un- 
der your  control  one  known  as  Valorie  Page, 
the  infant  daughter  of  our  client,  Mrs.  Eula- 
lie  Lee,  and  in  her  behalf  we  demand  the  in- 
stant surrender  of  the  girl — " 

"  Why  not  say  young  lady  ?  " 

"  Well,  young  lady,  then.  We  demand  the 
instant  — " 

"  Whatever  demands  you  make,  I  decline  to 
accede  to.  But  pray  go  on.  You  have  made 
a  number  of  unsupported  statements.  I  sup- 
pose you  have  proof  of  them  ?  " 

"  What,  for  instance  ?  " 

"  Well,  first  that  I  have  a  young  lady  under 
my  control.  Have  you  any  proof  of  that  ?  " 

"  I  supposed  you  would  admit  that  as  a  no- 
torious fact." 

"  In  this  case  I  am  admitting  nothing  what- 
ever. I  do  not  admit  the  existence  of  the 
young  lady.  You  must  prove  that.  If  there 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  219 

is  such  a  person  I  do  not  admit  that  I  have  her 
in  possession  or  subject  to  my  control.  You 
must  prove  that.  If  there  is  any  such  per- 
son, which  you  must  prove,  I  do  not  admit  that 
she  is  an  infant  in  law.  You  must  prove  that. 
If  there  is  any  such  person,  I  do  not  admit  that 
she  is  the  daughter  of  your  client  —  you  must 
prove  that.  By  the  way,  have  you  any  war- 
rant of  attorney  empowering  you  to  act  for 
your  client  ?  " 

"  You  know,  Colonel  Shenstone,  it  is  not 
customary  — " 

"  I  know  nothing  except  what  is  proved. 
Have  you  any  such  warrant  of  attorney 
authorizing  you  to  appear  in  behalf  of  this  al- 
leged client,  and  authorizing  me  to  discuss 
matters  with  you  as  her  attorney?  " 

"  I  assure  you  — " 

"  I  did  not  ask  for  assurances.  I  asked  for 
a  legal  document,  in  the  absence  of  which  I 
must  decline  to  discuss  this  matter  further." 

"  As  a  lawyer,  and  in  view  of  the  peculiar 
nature  of  this  case,"  responded  Stone,  "  I  quite 
understand.  But  as  a  lawyer  I  want  to  say 
before  leaving  that  if  you  could  and  would 


220  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

abate  somewhat  the  rigidity  of  your  require- 
ments as  to  proof  and  the  like,  I  think  you 
and  I  might  arrange  a  settlement  of  the  affair 
out  of  court,  which  would  satisfy  all  parties 
concerned  and  avoid  —  what  shall  I  call  it  — 
well,  friction,  controversy, —  what  you  will. 
We  might  avoid  litigation,  which  is  always  un- 
pleasant and  always  expensive.  It  is  the  prac- 
tice of  our  firm,  Colonel  Shenstone,  to  embrace 
every  opportunity  to  settle  things  out  of  court. 
We  have  a  fixed  belief  or  conviction  or  what- 
ever you  choose  to  call  it,  that  it  is  always 
better  to  compromise  than  to  fight.  It  saves 
money,  it  spares  tender  sensibilities  and  — " 

"  And  it  leaves  more  for  the  lawyers  to  di- 
vide," interrupted  Colonel  Shenstone.  "  Per- 
haps that  was  not  your  thought.  At  any  rate 
I  may  say  this:  I  never  respond  to  a  pro- 
posal of  whatever  sort  it  may  be,  until  I  know 
definitely  and  minutely  what  its  terms  are.  In 
the  present  instance  I  wish  to  emphasize  the 
fact  that  I  do  not  admit  the  existence  of  any 
case  to  be  compromised.  But  as  you  insist 
that  there  is  some  such  case  and  ask  me  to 
consider  a  proposal  of  compromise,  I  must  ask 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   221 

you  to  state  definitely  what  your  claims  are 
and  upon  what  terms  you  propose  to  compro- 
mise them." 

"  Thank  you.  That  is  what  I  want.  Our 
client,  as  the  mother  — " 

"  Which  I  do  not  admit  — "  answered  the 
colonel. 

"  Which  you  do  not  admit.  Yes.  I  fully 
understand  that.  Well,  then,  our  client,  claim- 
ing to  be  the  mother  of  a  certain  young 
woman  — •" 

"  Whose  existence  I  do  not  admit." 

"  Whose  existence  you  do  not  admit  —  we 
shall  get  on  better,  Colonel  Shenstone,  if  we 
agree  that  you  admit  nothing,  and  let  me  go 
on." 

"  Very  well.  With  the  understanding  that 
I  admit  none  of  your  statements,  affirmatively 
or  negatively,  by  express  words,  or  by  silence, 
by  affirmation  or  by  implication  —  in  brief 
that  I  reserve  the  right  to  dispute  each  and 
every  one  of  them  and  to  insist  upon  affirma- 
tive proof  of  each  and  all, —  with  that  under- 
standing you  may  proceed  and  I  will  not  in- 
terrupt. Go  on." 


222    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Very  well  then,  and  thank  you.  Our 
client,  claiming  to  be  the  mother,  and  as  such, 
the  natural  custodian  of  a  certain  young  lady, 
insists  that  she  has  an  indefeasible  right  to  the 
services  of  that  young  woman  during  her 
minority,  or,  as  the  law  calls  it,  her  '  infancy/ 
The  mother  contends  that  at  great  expense  she 
has  educated  the  young  woman  in  a  way  that 
makes  her  services  exceedingly  valuable, — 
that  she  has  had  her  expensively  trained  in  cer- 
tain arts  of  the  stage,  including  music  and 
dancing,  which,  if  practised  at  her  present  age 
and  aided  by  her  beauty,  her  grace,  and  her 
other  accomplishments,  all  of  which  have  been 
cultivated  at  great  expense  to  the  mother, 
would  yield  a  large  return  in  the  way  of  sal- 
aries and  emoluments.  She  claims  that  you 
have  possession  of  the  girl  and  are  restraining 
her  from  the  earning  of  such  salaries  and  emol- 
uments, wherefore  she  demands  either  that  you 
restore  the  girl  to  her  keeping  or  that  you  pay 
her  a  sufficient  sum  by  way  of  damages  to 
compensate  her  for  the  loss  of  the  girl's  serv- 
ices. I  think  she  would  accept  a  very  reason- 
able sum  — " 


/I 


YOUB  VEHICLE   STANDS   READY   FOB  YOU.      Go  !      Go  !      Go 

Page  223. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF^VIRGINIA    223 

"  Listen !  "  commanded  Colonel  Shenstone. 
"  Go  back  to  your  client,  and  say  to  her  that 
I  will  see  her  hanged  before  I  will  let  her  get 
possession  of  the  young  gentlewoman  and  be- 
fore I  will  pay  her  the  fraction  of  a  cent  by 
way  of  blackmail.  Tell  her  I'll  spend  the  last 
dollar  of  my  fortune  in  fighting  her  iniquitous 
purpose,  if  she  chooses  to  make  that  necessary, 
but  that  not  one  dollar  will  I  consent  to  pay 
her  in  the  way  of  forfeit.  And  let  me  tell  you, 
young  man,  that  you'd  do  well  to  look  to  your 
retainers'  fees,  for  if  there  is  aught  of  specula- 
tion in  your  acceptance  of  this  iniquitous  case, 
it  shall  be  a  losing  speculation  to  the  end  of 
the  chapter.  Go  now.  It  is  war,  you  under- 
stand, and  war  with  no  quarter,  no  flags  of 
truce,  no  negotiations,  no  anything  but  gun- 
fire and  bayonet  charges.  Your  vehicle  stands 
ready  for  you.  Go !  Go !  Go !  " 

Old  as  Colonel  Shenstone  was,  his  manner 
was  so  vehement,  so  determined,  so  indignant, 
under  what  he  deemed  an  insult,  that  the  law- 
yer seriously  feared  violence  at  his  hands.  He 
paused  not  even  for  the  formality  of  adieus, 
but  literally  fled  down  the  footway  to  the 


224   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

horse  blocks,  leaped  into  his  hired  vehicle,  and 
put  the  horse  to  his  paces  in  precipitate  retreat. 

When  he  had  passed  the  outer  gate,  Colonel 
Shenstone  withdrew  into  the  house  and  wrote 
a  letter  which  he  sent  by  his  body  servant  to 
Mrs.  Albemarle,  in  Richmond. 

It  had  its  results,  as  it  was  intended  to  have. 


XXIII 

WAT  Colonel  Shenstone  wrote  to 
Mrs.  Albemarle  was  this : 
"  You  Obstinate  Person:  If  you 
persist  long  enough  in  your  determination 
to  hold  a  possession  adverse  to  me,  there  will 
be  only  one  course  open  to  me,  in  case  a  writ 
is  served  upon  me.  I  shall  have  to  go  into 
court  and  show  that  I  am  powerless  to  pro- 
duce what  the  court  calls  upon  me  to  produce. 
It  is  important  that  I  shall  be  able  to  do  that 
with  a  good  conscience.  I  suppose  your  can- 
tankerous obstinacy  will  make  that  not  only 
possible  but  actual.  You  always  were  high- 
handed in  your  methods,  even  when  you  were 
my  ward,  and  I  know  of  no  way  in  which  to 
control  you.  Phil  is  due  to  arrive  at  the  Ex- 
change Hotel  to-morrow  afternoon  or  night. 
He  has  several  times  intimated  to  me  that  he 
has  control  of  funds  belonging  to  the  Little 
225 


226    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Minx.  If  she  should  have  need  of  money, 
application  must  be  made  to  him,  for,  under 
present  circumstances  I  must  not  advance  a 
penny  to  an  errant  and  disobedient  girl  who 
has  abandoned  my  protection  and  placed  her- 
self under  that  of  an  unruly  antagonist.  Un- 
der ordinary  circumstances  of  course,  my  bank 
account  would  be  as  freely  at  her  service  as  it 
will  always  be  at  Phil's,  if  ever  he  should  need 
such  service,  which  I  regard  as  extremely  un- 
likely." 

In  writing  this  letter,  Colonel  Shenstone 
was  guided  somewhat  by  his  conviction  that 
Mrs.  Albemarle  was  a  person  of  rather  acute 
perceptions.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  let- 
ter upon  its  face,  bore  no  indication  of  the 
identity  of  the  person  to  whom  it  was  ad- 
dressed. The  words :  "  You  obstinate  per- 
son," might  mean  anybody,  for  who  is  there 
who  does  not  seem  an  obstinate  person  now 
and  then?  It  was  Colonel  Shenstone's  life- 
long habit  to  write  his  letters  upon  three  pages 
of  letter-sized  paper,  to  fold  them  after  the 
old  fashion  so  as  to  bring  the  fourth  side  of  the 
sheet  outside  for  the  address,  and  to  use  no 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   227 

envelope.  In  this  case  he  violated  all  the  tra- 
ditions and  set  all  his  customs  at  defiance.  He 
searched  Valorie's  lap  desk  till  he  found  an 
envelope.  Then  rather  awkwardly  —  for  he 
was  unused  to  envelopes  —  he  managed  to  fold 
his  sheet  into  a  wad  that  he  could  force  into 
the  receptacle.  Then,  after  addressing  the 
letter  he  wrote  in  the  lower  left  hand  corner 
of  the  envelope,  these  words: 

"  Please  let  my  servant  bring  this  envelope 
back  to  me  so  that  I  may  know  certainly  that 
the  letter  has  been  delivered." 

Mrs.  Albemarle  laughed  a  little  as  she  read 
the  letter,  and  she  smiled  as  she  wrote  in  re- 
ply: 

"  You  dear,  unreasonable  old  bundle  of  law 
points:  I  scorn  to  keep  either  your  envelope, 
or  the  letter  it  held.  I  am  returning  both,  far 
more  neatly  folded  than  when  they  came  to 
me.  If  you  think  for  one  moment  to  bend  me 
from  my  purpose  by  your  persuasions  or  your 
threats,  you  will  find  yourself  in  error.  I  shall 
hold  my  adverse  possession  so  adversely  that 
even  your  legal  acumen  shall  find  no  way  of 
breaking  through  it.  Do  your  worst,  sir,  and 


228    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

you  shall  find  my  woman's  wits  not  wanting 
in  any  match  with  your  legal  ones. 

"  By  the  way,  I've  a  duel  or  two  to  pre- 
vent. My  college  boys  all  fell  in  love  with 
V.  of  course.  I  knew  they  would,  but  I  didn't 
think  they  would  quarrel  so  fiercely.  I'll 
settle  all  that,  however.  I've  sent  a  personal 
note  to  each  of  them,  peremptorily  summoning 
each  —  without  mentioning  the  others  —  to 
call  upon  me  for  a  confidential  conference  at 
three  o'clock  to-day.  When  they  come  and 
each  finds  the  others  here,  I'll  laugh  at  them 
and  we'll  all  go  to  dinner.  I've  ordered  three 
kinds  of  dessert  besides  syllabub,  and  all  boys 
like  sweet  things.  It  is  one  of  the  loveliest 
traits  of  their  characters.  It  means  that  they 
haven't  yet  smoked  enough  to  spoil  their  nat- 
ural appetites  or  vitiate  their  tastes.  I  wish 
they  all  loved  romantic  novels,  too,  as  all  girls 
do.  It  would  give  one  such  a  hold  upon  them, 
wouldn't  it  ?  " 

Having  sent  off  this  missive,  the  Grand 
Dame  —  the  charm  of  whose  personality  lay 
largely  in  the  fact  that  she  always  knew  what 
next  to  do  —  wrote  out  a  card  and  sent  it  to 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   229 

the  engravers  with  a  "  hurry  order."  This  is 
the  way  in  which  it  read : 

"Having  decided  to  make  a  journey,  Mrs. 
Albemarle  finds  it  necessary  to  cancel  all  her 
invitations  for  Tuesdays,  Thursdays  and  Sat- 
urdays until  further  notice.  Mrs.  Albemarle 
regrets  that  for  a  time  she  must  deny  herself 
the  society  of  her  friends,  and  hopes  soon  to 
renew  her  invitations." 

She  did  not  send  these  cards  out,  but  held 
them  in  reserve  for  use  if  needed.  The  next 
day  she  wrote  a  note  to  Phil  Shenstone,  who 
had  just  arrived  at  the  Exchange  Hotel. 

"My  Dear  Young  Chevalier''  she  wrote; 
"  I  see  by  the  list  of  Hotel  arrivals  that  you  are 
in  Richmond.  I  must  see  you  at  once.  It  is 
important.  Never  mind  hours  or  conventions, 
but  come  as  soon  as  you  can."  Then  in  a 
postscript  she  added : 

"  P.  S.  Don't  misinterpret  the  peremptory 
tone  of  this  note.  It  doesn't  mean  that  I  want 
to  scold  you.  It  means  on  the  contrary  that 
I  want  to  consult  you  about  somebody  who  is 
dear  to  both  of  us,  I  think.  Anyhow  you  are 
to  come  at  once.  That  is  both  my  request  and 


230    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

my  command.  Grant  the  one  or  obey  the 
other  as  you  choose,  but  come,  and  come 
quickly." 

"  What  a  wonderful  woman  she  is,  any- 
how," exclaimed  Phil,  as  he  tossed  the  note  to 
Greg  Tazewell  to  read. 

After  reading  it,  Greg  answered : 

"  Yes,  she  is  quite  all  of  that.  What  a  pity 
it  is  that  no  man  living  has  her  brains,  her 
tact,  her  readiness  of  resource,  her  extraor- 
dinary perceptions  and  her  marvelous  ability 
to  make  everybody  do  whatever  she  wants 
done!  If  that  woman  were  a  man  she'd  be 
President  and  Secretary  of  State  and  Prime 
Minister  of  England  and  dominant  diplomatist 
of  all  the  world  —  all  in  the  same  twenty- four 
hours.  I  wonder  what  she  has  on  hand  now? 
I'll  bet  golden  guineas  to  gouber  peas  that 
she's  planning  something  that  will  startle  us 
by  its  originality  and  its  genius." 

"  I  won't  take  the  bet,"  answered  Phil,  "  be- 
cause one  doesn't  care  to  lose  even  gouber 
peas  on  a  wager.  It  humiliates  one  to  lose  a 
bet.  But  I'll  go  at  once  to  see  her." 

Half  an  hour  later  he  presented  himself  at 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    231 

Mrs.  Albemarle's,  asking  only  for  her,  because 
he  could  not  know  what  the  situation  might 
be,  and  because  she  had  made  no  mention  of 
Valorie  in  her  note.  He  had  reflected :  "  Mrs. 
Albemarle  is  not  at  all  a  haphazard  person. 
Whatever  she  does  or  says  is  done  or  said 
with  a  thoroughly  well-considered  purpose; 
and  equally  what  she  omits  to  say  or  do  is 
omitted  with  a  well-considered  purpose.  So 
as  she  summoned  me  to  meet  herself,  making 
no  mention  of  Valorie,  my  safest  course  is  to 
ask  only  for  her." 

"  My  dear  Phil,  I  need  not  ask  you  how  you 
are,"  said  the  gracious  lady,  taking  both  his 
hands  as  he  approached  and  she  advanced  to 
meet  him.  "  You  look  it  —  every  bit  of  it  — 
and  I'm  glad.  But  you'll  naturally  want  to 
see  Valorie,  presently,  and  before  that  happens 
you  and  I  have  some  business  to  attend  to. 
Now  you  are  not  to  ask  me  anything  about 
my  plans.  They  constitute  an  inviolable 
secret.  But  Colonel  Shenstone  has  intimated 
to  me  that  you  may  perhaps  have  some  money 
in  your  hands  to  which  Valorie  has  some  sort 
of  claim.  Is  it  so?" 


232   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Yes,  certainly.  Her  father  left  me  in 
charge  of  her  affairs.  He  was  a  stockholder 
in  several  steamboat  companies — " 

"  I  don't  care  at  all  for  the  details,  Phil,  and 
you  know  I  don't  care  for  the  money.  But 
I'm  just  about  ready  to  do  something  for  Va- 
lorie  which  will  cost  some  money  and  you 
know  how  proudly  independent  she  is.  She'll 
be  sure  presently  to  throw  an  obstruction  in 
my  way  by  wanting  to  know  where  the  money 
comes  from  for  her  share  of  the  expenses. 
So—" 

"  Pardon  me  for  interrupting,"  said  Phil, 
smiling,  "  but  you  are  so  transparent  a  crea- 
ture, Mrs.  Albemarle,  that  one  doesn't  need 
glasses  to  penetrate  your  purposes.  I  quite  un- 
derstand. I  am  prepared  to  place  a  consid- 
erable sum  of  money  —  Valerie's  own  money, 
really  and  absolutely  her  own  —  to  her  credit 
or  yours,  in  any  bank  you  may  name.  I'll  do 
it  to-day  —  within  the  hour." 

"  How  stupid  you  men  are !  "  answered  she. 
"  All  I  want  is  to  quiet  Valerie's  absurd 
scruples.  She  and  I  may  go  traveling  pres- 
ently —  mind  you,  I  don't  say  we  shall  —  and 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  233 

we  may  even  decide  to  make  a  little  tour  in 
Europe  —  mind  you,  again,  I  don't  say  we 
shall.  But,  just  by  way  of  quieting  her  scru- 
ples, I  want  you  to  get  for  her  a  letter  of 
credit  — " 

"  I  see.     I'll  do  it  to-day.     What  else? " 

"  Only  one  other  thing." 

Going  to  her  writing  desk  which  stood  be- 
hind the  curtains  of  a  deep  bay  window,  she 
brought  forth  a  little  parcel,  saying : 

"  Here  is  a  box  of  gloves  which  you  are  to 
remember  that  you  bought  at  Breedon  &  Fox's 
for  her.  Of  course  a  man  would  go  to  Bree- 
don &  Fox's  for  gloves  —  a  woman  would 
prefer  Price's.  I'm  going  to  send  for  her  now 
and  you  are  to  give  her  the  gloves,  in  my  pres- 
ence, mind,  so  that  there  shall  be  no  unbecom- 
ing emotional  trimmings  to  the  procedure." 

"  But,  Mrs,  Albemarle,"  he  exclaimed,  stay- 
ing her  hand  as  she  reached  for  the  bell  rope, 
"  I  cannot  consent  — " 

"  Oh,  that's  easily  managed,"  she  replied. 
"  You  mean  you  must  really  pay  for  the  gloves 
if  you  are  to  give  them  to  her?  Very  well. 
They  cost  fifteen  dollars.  You  may  discharge 


234   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

the  debt  by  sending  me  flowers  to  that  amount 
if  you  must." 

She  had  already  pulled  the  bell  cord  —  for 
Mrs..Albemarle's  bell  cords  were  placed  within 
easy  and  convenient  reach.  It  was  one  of  her 
eccentricities  to  insist  upon  having  them  so, 
and  the  mechanics  who  arranged  things  about 
her  house  under  her  direction,  had  found  her 
imperious  will  as  resistless  as  men  and  women 
of  higher  social  position  had  discovered  it  to 
be.  The  bell  hanger  whom  she  had  compelled 
to  place  that  silken  cord  conveniently  by  the 
side  of  the  chimney  piece,  had  been  as  power- 
less in  his  desire  to  hang  it  behind  the  tall 
clock  or  in  rear  of  the  antique  Roman  book- 
case as  Phil  Shenstone  now  was  to  negative 
her  will  that  he  should  give  Valorie  the  box 
of  gloves. 

There  was  this  redeeming  feature  about 
Mrs.  Albemarle's  exactions  of  obedience,  that 
she  always  managed,  in  one  way  or  in  another, 
to  make  compliance  agreeable.  Thus  in  Phil 
Shenstone's  case  he  had  wanted  to  stop  at  the 
florist's  that  morning  and  take  some  flowers 
to  Mrs.  Albemarle.  But  he  had  reflected  that 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   235 

as  he  had  been  summoned  to  her  presence,  and 
had  not  already  paid  his  respects  voluntarily, 
it  might  seem  something  akin  to  an  apology 
for  him  to  bear  a  tribute  of  flowers  on  the  oc- 
casion. Moreover,  one  of  Mrs.  Albemarle's 
college  boys,  a  youth  whose  maintenance  in 
college  Phil  Shenstone  was  surreptitiously 
bearing,  had  visited  him  promptly  on  his  ar- 
rival, to  tell  him  of  the  guardianship  of  Va- 
lorie  in  which  he  had  assisted.  Incidentally 
the  young  man  told  him  that  in  gratitude  to 
Mrs.  Albemarle  for  her  social  recognition  of 
himself,  he  had  abstained  from  the  buying  of 
a  cravat  which  he  coveted,  and  had  spent  the 
money  thus  saved,  in  three  Jaqueminot  roses; 
that  upon  his  presentation  of  them,  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle had  said : 

"  But,  my  dear  Lucien,  you  mustn't  spend 
your  wealth  upon  me.  Save  it  for  younger 
and  eligible  women.  It  is  nice  of  you  of 
course,  but  I  shall  not  allow  it  in  future." 

Then,  the  young  fellow  went  on  to  relate  as 
a  curious  coincidence,  there  had  come  to  him, 
next  day  with  Mrs.  Albemarle's  compliments, 
a  classical  dictionary  which  he  had  longed  for, 


236   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

and  half  a  dozen  cravats,  such  as  he  should 
never  have  dreamed  of  buying  for  himself. 

On  the  whole  the  recital  tended  to  restrain 
Phil  Shenstone's  impulse  to  carry  flowers  to 
Mrs.  Albemarle,  though,  as  he  afterwards  saw 
very  clearly,  her  impulse  in  the  case  of  the 
college  boy,  had  been  one  in  no  wise  applicable 
to  himself.  At  any  rate  he  was  glad  now  of 
an  excuse  to  send  limitless  flowers  to  the  gra- 
cious woman  who  was  doing  so  much  for  Va- 
lorie. 

In  answer  to  Mrs.  Albemarle's  summons, 
Valorie  presently  floated  into  the  parlor.  Phil 
Shenstone  found  it  impossible  to  think  of  her 
entrance  into  a  room  otherwise  than  as  float- 
ing. She  had  not  known  or  suspected  that 
he  was  there,  or  within  five  hundred  miles  of 
her.  When  she  saw  him  all  the  reserve  that 
belongs  to  the  young  gentlewoman  went  out 
of  her,  and  all  the  candor  of  the  child  that  re- 
mained to  her  came  forth.  She  ran  forward 
impulsively  crying :  "  Oh,  it's  Mr.  Phil !  it's 
Mr.  Phil !  "  and  she  was  on  the  point  of  throw- 
ing her  arms  about  his  neck  when  she  remem- 
bered something. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    237 

What  it  was,  is  no  matter.  When  she  re- 
membered it  she  chastened  her  greeting  into 
one  of  cordial  friendship  only. 

"  I'm  glad  she  didn't  kiss  him,"  thought  the 
wise  woman  who  was  looking  on.  "  That 
would  have  meant  that  she  didn't  love  him  as 
I  want  her  to  do.  It  would  have  meant  that 
she  feels  for  him  nothing  more  than  the  cold- 
blooded friendship  to  which  she  is  now  so  dili- 
gently pretending.  As  she  suddenly  restrained 
herself  and  is  now  behaving  in  a  singularly  dis- 
creet manner,  I  know  of  course  that  she  does 
love  him,  and  I  can  afford  to  leave  the  result  to 
Cupid.  Phil  Shenstone  is  stupid  in  such  mat- 
ters of  course.  All  strong  men  are,  and  espe- 
cially all  men  strong  enough  to  be  modest. 
But  he'll  wake  up  after  awhile  and  find  out 
what's  what.  That's  the  charm  of  men. 
Great,  stupid,  dull-witted  fellows  that  they  are, 
they  never  know  when  a  woman  is  in  love  with 
them.  They  construe  the  plainest  possible  in- 
dications of  it  to  mean  something  exactly  the 
reverse.  I  dare  say  Phil  Shenstone  observed 
Valerie's  impulse  to  kiss  him,  and  saw  the  way 
in  which  she  restrained  it,  and  argued  in  his 


238    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

own  mind  that  it  all  meant  she  loved  some 
other  fellow,  and  mustn't  caress  him  for  fear 
of  disloyalty  or  misconstruction  or  some  other 
absurd  thing  of  that  sort.  The  stupidity  of 
men  is  really  very  annoying  at  times;  but  at 
any  rate  it  is  amusing.  Some  day,  when  these 
two  shall  have  found  out  what  and  how  much 
they  mean  to  each  other,  I'll  have  my  laugh  at 
them  and  explain  to  them  how  absurd  their 
behavior  in  this  present  time  seemed  to  me  to 
be." 

In  the  meanwhile,  Phil  Shenstone  was  put- 
ting his  own  construction  upon  Valerie's  be- 
havior. He  had  seen  and  understood  her 
childlike  impulse  to  rush  into  his  arms  and 
caress  him.  He  had  observed  the  suddenness 
with  which  she  abandoned  that  purpose,  and 
adopted  a  tone  of  cordial  friendliness  instead. 

"  In  her  gratitude  to  me,"  he  argued,  "  for 
having  rescued  her  from  conventual  re- 
straints and  from  a  repulsive  life  prospect,  and 
for  having  brought  her  into  a  larger  life  which 
she  intensely  enjoys,  the  old,  childish  impulse 
to  caress  me  was  for  the  moment  dominant. 
But  she  remembered  that  she  is  a  young 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    239 

woman  now,  with  a  personal  dignity  to  main- 
tain. More  important  still,  she  remembered 
that  —  well,  she  remembered  Greg  Tazewell, 
the  one  man  who  means  all  there  is  in  the 
world  to  her. 

"  She  is  right,  of  course.  He  is  fitter  to 
make  her  happy  than  I  am,  and  besides  he  has 
awakened  her  soul,  as  I  never  did  and  never 
could.  It  is  better  so.  Greg  and  I  are  friends, 
I  will  take  myself  utterly  out  of  his  way. 
Whatever  of  gratitude  and  personal  friendship 
Valorie  may  feel  for  me,  must  weigh  nothing 
in  the  scale.  As  soon  as  this  tangle  in  her  af- 
fairs can  be  straightened  out,  I'll  go  back  to 
my  steamboating  and  leave  the  two  to  be 
happy. 

"But  I  shall  never  love  any  other  woman 
than  Valorie  Page  so  long  as  I  live." 

Then  another  thought  entered  his  mind  as 
if  some  Demon  of  Suggestion  had  thrust  it 
there. 

"  If  Valorie  and  Greg  were  married,  these 
people  would  have  no  further  claim  upon  her. 
She  would  be  free.  Why  shouldn't  they  solve 
the  riddle  in  that  easy  way  ?  " 


240  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

But  somehow  that  thought  troubled  him  so 
greatly  that  he  dared  not  entertain  it.  He 
was  one  of  two  gentlemen  of  Virginia,  and  as 
such  he  would  in  the  end  do  his  duty,  what- 
ever personal  distress  it  might  cause  him. 
But  as  one  shrinks  from  the  surgeon's  knife 
even  when  he  knows  its  use  to  be  necessary, 
so,  for  the  present,  Phil  Shenstone  shrank 
from  actively  suggesting  what  seemed  to  be 
the  only  or  at  any  rate  the  easiest  way  out  of 
existing  complications. 

He  gave  Valorie  the  gloves,  but  he  did  it 
in  a  way  that  robbed  the  act  of  every  particle 
of  the  significance  Mrs.  Albemarle  had  in- 
tended it  to  bear. 

Then  he  went  away  and  sent  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle her  flowers.  Perhaps  in  her  eyes  he 
mended  matters  a  trifle  by  sending  Valorie  at 
the  same  time  a  little  bunch  of  forget-me-nots, 
which  as  Mrs.  Albemarle  delightedly  observed, 
the  girl  cherished  with  special  tenderness, 
throwing  some  gaudier  blooms  away  to  make 
place  for  them. 


XXIV 

AS  he  drove  away  from  Woodlands, 
the  lawyer,  Stone,  puzzled  himself 
mightily  and  to  no  purpose.  He 
could  not  make  out  the  cause  of  Colonel  Shen- 
stone's  indignant  outbreak,  for  the  reason  that 
neither  his  thinking  habit  nor  his  moral  per- 
ception lay  within  the  same  plane  in  which  the 
old  Virginian's  thinking  was  done.  Trained  as 
the  young  man  had  been  in  that  school  of 
legal  ethics  which  had  found  acceptance  among 
the  smaller  men  of  the  profession  in  many 
parts  of  the  country,  he  could  not  understand 
how  anything  that  lay  within  the  limits  of 
technical  legality  could  be  otherwise  than 
proper.  The  proposal  of  compromise  which 
he  had  suggested  to  the  old  Virginian  had  been 
carefully  kept  within  those  limits.  He  had 
made  no  threat  of  anything  to  be  done  in  case 
of  its  non-acceptance.  And  yet  Colonel  Shen- 
241 


242  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

stone  had  angrily  called  it  a  threat  of  black- 
mail. Cudgel  his  brain  as  he  might,  Stone 
could  remember  no  precedent,  no  decision,  no 
obiter  dictum  even,  upon  which  a  court  could 
so  construe  what  he  had  said ;  and  as  statutory 
definition  and  court  construction  were  to  his 
mind  the  ultimate  sources  of  ethical  obligation, 
he  felt  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  no  wrong 
doing. 

Yet  he  was  not  without  apprehension.  Since 
his  advent  in  Virginia  he  had  discovered  that 
in  that  strangely  constituted  society  —  which 
he  could  neither  understand  nor  secure  admis- 
sion to  —  quixotic  old  gentlemen  of  Colonel 
Shenstone's  type,  especially  where  they  stood 
high  at  the  bar  as  the  colonel  did,  were  able 
to  exercise  an  influence  over  courts  and  juries 
that  he  could  in  no  wise  understand.  They 
seemed  to  be  able,  upon  occasion,  to  go  behind 
the  "  statutes  in  that  case  made  and  provided," 
and  to  invoke  a  higher  law  which  they  called 
honor,  with  extraordinary  success. 

Indeed,  it  was  his  observation  of  this  sort  of 
thing  that  had  induced  Stone  to  leave  New 
York  at  the  beginning  of  his  career  and  seek 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   243 

a  practice  in  Virginia.  During  a  period  of 
observation  there  he  had  made  up  his  mind 
that  the  lawyers  in  that  state  were  sadly  want- 
ing in  sagacity.  They  seemed  to  be  able  men, 
learned  in  those  broad  principles  of  law  and 
equity  which  he  had  purposely  neglected,  be- 
cause of  his  quick  appreciation  of  their  use- 
lessness  in  the  winning  of  cases;  but  every 
time  he  went  into  court  as  a  spectator  of  pro- 
ceedings, he  saw  these  men  actually  losing 
vital  points  in  their  cases,  not  only  by  their 
quixotic  refusal  to  take  advantage  of  techni- 
calities that  tended  to  the  defeat  of  justice, 
but  still  more  by  their  refusal  to  pervert  pro- 
visions of  law  to  the  advantage  of  their  clients, 
as  they  easily  might  have  done.  These  men 
actually  proceeded  upon  that  exploded  old 
dictum  of  the  English  law,  which  they  had 
sworn  to  obey,  that  a  lawyer's  duty  is  to  be 
"  true  to  himself,  true  to  the  law,  true  to  the 
court,  and  true  to  the  client."  They  put  them- 
selves first,  insisting  upon  it  that  as  gentlemen 
they  must  maintain  an  attitude  of  honor  and 
integrity,  even  though  the  client's  cause  should 
suffer  loss.  They  insisted  upon  being  true  to 


244  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

the  law,  even  when  the  law  was  adverse  to 
their  clients.  They  recognized  their  obliga- 
tion to  be  "  true  to  the  court "  by  refusing  to 
pervert  law  in  the  interest  of  clients  who  had 
paid  them  to  conduct  their  cases  to  successful 
issue.  In  their  view  the  interests  of  the  client 
were  subsidiary  to  all  these  higher  consider- 
ations, and  so  in  their  hands  a  client  was  likely 
to  lose  his  case  if  it  were  not  a  good  one,  sup- 
ported by  considerations  of  right  and  justice. 

This  was  not  Fernando  Stone's  idea  of  the 
function  of  the  lawyer.  He  had  been  trained 
to  think  that  it  is  the  sole  duty  of  the  lawyer 
to  win  his  client's  case,  right  or  wrong,  and  to 
that  end  to  employ  every  means  in  his  power. 

As  he  sat  looking  on  at  Virginia  court  pro- 
ceedings, he  saw  case  after  case  lost  upon  prin- 
ciple which  he  confidently  believed  he  could 
have  won  by  disregard  of  principle  and  in- 
sistence upon  technicality. 

He  saw  a  great  opportunity  for  the  exer- 
cise of  his  peculiar  abilities  in  a  State  in  which 
the  practitioners  of  law  were  so  greatly  ham- 
pered and  restrained  by  conscience  and  by  ab- 
surd traditions  of  honorable  conduct. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   245 

So,  taking  a  partner  of  his  own  kind,  he  set- 
tled in  Richmond.  In  the  lower  courts  he 
achieved  a  certain  measure  of  success.  He 
succeeded  by  adroit  insistence  upon  technical- 
ities, in  so  far  winning  his  cases  as  to  bring 
himself  into  a  considerable  practice  and  into 
hopeless  disrepute  among  honorable  men. 
But  to  his  surprise  his  success  in  the  higher 
courts  met  with  obstacles  which  he  could  in 
no  wise  understand.  There  seemed  to  pre- 
vail in  those  courts  a  disposition  to  regard 
justice  and  right,  and  the  obligations  of  com- 
mon honesty  as  actually  superior  to  statutory 
provisions.  More  annoying  still,  the  courts  of 
Virginia  insisted  upon  construing  even  statu- 
tory provisions  in  the  light  of  these  absurdly 
sentimental  theories  of  "  right  between  man 
and  man."  In  one  case  in  particular,  Stone 
had  met  with  defeat  in  a  peculiarly  humiliat- 
ing manner.  Before  Judge  Clopton  he  had 
made  a  technical  point  with  great  ingenuity. 
The  Judge  courteously  commended  the  in- 
genuity of  the  counsel,  but  added  : 

"  The  court  can  not  believe  that  the  law  of 
Virginia  intends  injustice  or  means  to  tolerate 


246   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

it.  The  construction  which  the  ingenuity  of 
counsel  has  sought  to  place  upon  it,  would,  if 
sustained  by  the  court,  work  a  grievous  in- 
justice. The  court,  therefore,  refuses  to  ac- 
cept that  construction,  and  instructs  the  jury 
to  disregard  it  utterly.  With  that  instruction, 
given  with  all  the  emphasis  the  court  can 
command,  the  jury  will  take  the  case."  And 
the  jury  did,  and  gave  a  verdict  against  his 
client. 

Nevertheless,  Fernando  Stone,  as  he  drove 
to  the  station,  was  unable  to  understand  Col- 
onel Shenstone's  angry  reception  of  his  pro- 
posal of  compromise.  It  was  clear  to  his  mind 
that  his  client's  case  had  enough  of  plausibility 
in  it  to  make  defense  against  it  a  rather  costly 
indulgence.  With  a  view  to  his  own  fees,  he 
stood  ready  to  advise  a  compromise  if  the 
colonel  had  consented  to  pay  a  sum  much 
smaller  than  the  cost  of  litigation,  a  sum  one- 
half  of  which  he  would  gladly  take  as  his  own 
compensation.  He  even  stood  ready,  in  that 
case,  to  compel  his  client's  acceptance  of  half 
of  the  money  in  satisfaction  of  her  claim,  by 
advising  her  that  she  really  had  no  case  at  all, 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    247 

and  that  she  ought  to  be  very  grateful  to  him 
for  having  compelled  Colonel  Shenstone  to 
buy  her  off. 

Colonel  Shenstone's  meditations  after  the 
man's  departure,  were  of  a  very  different  kind. 

"  Confound  the  fellow !  "  he  thought  —  for 
he  objected  to  swearing  as  unbecoming  in  a 
gentleman  —  "  confound  the  fellow !  I  won- 
der what  sort  of  swinish  brute  he  thought  me. 
Anyhow,  I've  given  him  enough  points  on 
which  he  must  furnish  proof  to  keep  him  busy 
till  Phil  comes  and  tells  me  the  whole  story. 
Till  he  does,  I'm  crippled  by  lack  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  facts.  When  I  know  them  all  I'll 
find  a  way  to  twist  that  wretched  little  statute- 
monger  into  all  sorts  of  double  bow  knots.  I 
can  beat  him  on  the  principles  of  course,  even 
without  the  facts.  There  isn't  a  court  in  Vir- 
ginia that  would  take  my  dear  Little  Minx  out 
of  my  care  and  turn  her  over  to  a  woman  who 
wants  to  make  a  stage  performer  of  her.  But 
I  want  to  know  the  facts,  I'll  write  to  Greg  to 
send  Phil  to  me  the  moment  he  gets  to  Rich- 
mond." 

And  he  did.     And  in  due  course  of  mail 


248   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

his  summons  should  have  reached  Greg  Taze- 
well  and  through  him  come  into  Phil  Shen- 
stone's  hands,  early  on  the  next  morning.  But 
as  his  body  servant  never  could  be  persuaded 
to  understand  that  the  postal  requirements  of 
the  United  States  Government  were  applica- 
ble to  missives  sent  by  so  distinguished  a  per- 
son as  his  master,  he  omitted  to  affix  a  stamp 
to  Colonel  Shenstone's  letter. 

The  body  servant  was  so  far  right  in  his 
understanding  of  such  matters  that  the  post- 
master at  the  station,  instead  of  sending  the 
communication  to  the  dead  letter  office  for 
lack  of  postage,  held  it  until  the  next  day, 
when  embracing  an  opportunity,  he  returned 
it  to  Colonel  Shenstone  with  a  rather  elaborate 
apology,  explanation  and  humble  request  that 
the  stamp  required  by  law  should  be  affixed 
to  it. 

In  the  meanwhile  Greg  Tazewell,  to  whom 
the  letter  was  addressed,  had  left  Richmond 
for  the  North  without  explanation,  without 
previous  notice  to  anybody,  and  leaving  be- 
hind him  only  a  brief  note,  written  to  give  his 
address  to  Phil  Shenstone  in  case  of  need. 


XXV 

BUT  Phil  Shenstone  needed  no  sum- 
mons from  his  uncle.  He  had  hur- 
ried from  the  West  to  Richmond  for 
the  express  purpose  of  going  to  Woodlands, 
consulting  Colonel  Shenstone  and  taking  upon 
himself  the  fight  in  Valerie's  behalf.  It  had 
been  his  intention  to  go  at  once  to  Woodlands 
without  pausing  even  to  have  his  clothes 
brushed  or  his  shoes  polished.  But  Greg 
Tazewell  had  sent  an  emissary  to  meet  him  at 
the  railway  station,  and  in  answer  to  the  sum- 
mons he  had  gone  to  the  hotel  to  meet  his 
friend  and  learn  what  he  could  of  the  situa- 
tion. Then  had  come  Mrs.  Albemarle's  note 
and  he  had  felt  bound  to  respond  to  it.  Upon 
leaving  her  he  must  go  to  the  florist's,  of 
course,  and  discharge  himself  of  his  indebt- 
edness for  the  gloves.  After  that  he  had  to 
go  to  the  bank  to  secure  the  promised  letter  of 
249 


250    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

credit,  and  that  took  so  much  time  that  really 
he  felt  that  it  would  not  do  to  leave  its  de- 
livery to  the  deliberate  movements  of  a  bank 
messenger.  Mrs.  Albemarle  had  named  no 
time  within  which  the  document  should  be  de- 
livered, but  she  had  mysteriously  intimated 
her  purpose  to  do  something  without  delay 
and  he,  in  his  turn,  had  assured  her  that  he 
would  arrange  the  matter  at  once.  It  was 
obvious,  therefore,  that  he  ought  to  deliver 
the  document  in  person.  Besides  —  well,  he 
had  seen  Valorie  only  in  Mrs.  Albemarle's 
presence,  and  possibly  —  no,  it  would  be  better 
if  it  should  turn  out  otherwise.  Still  —  well 
on  the  whole  his  duty  to  deliver  the  financial 
paper  in  person  and  at  once  was  obvious. 
Moreover,  the  cashier  had  charged  him  to  see 
to  it  that  Valorie  should  write  her  signature 
upon  it  for  identification,  and  that  might  need 
some  explanation  to  one  so  unused  as  she  was 
to  financial  transactions. 

So,  calling  a  cab,  he  drove  to  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle's. 

That  was  precisely  what  that  sagacious  gen- 
tlewoman had  expected  him  to  do,  and  in 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    251 

preparation  for  it  she  had  conjured  up  a  wea- 
riness. She  never  had  a  headache.  She  was 
too  abundantly  healthly  for  that  sort  of  fem- 
inine indulgence.  "  Besides,"  she  often  said 
when  that  plea  was  suggested  to  her,  "  nobody 
would  ever  believe  me.  For  the  life  of  me  I 
can't  '  look  the  part '  of  a  lackadaisical,  head- 
ache-ridden woman."  But  to-day,  in  antici- 
pation of  Phil  Shenstone's  visit,  of  which  she 
was  as  confident  as  she  was  of  the  striking  of 
the  clock,  she  took  pains  to  feel  weary  and  in- 
disposed to  exert  herself  in  the  reception  of 
visitors. 

"  I'm  going  to  make  myself  comfortable 
for  once,  Val,"  she  said.  "  I'm  going  to  put 
off  my  gown  and  snuggle  into  something 
soft,  and  warm  and  easy.  If  anybody  calls 
I'll  excuse  myself.  I'm  going  to  rest  while 
you  read  John  Esten  Cooke's  new  novel  to 
me.  It's  called  '  Henry  St.  John,  Gentle- 
man,' and  you'll  find  it  on  the  table.  You 
know  John  Esten  Cooke  is  our  Virginia  nov- 
elist, and  he's  sure  to  call  here  pretty  soon. 
When  he  does  we  must  both  be  prepared  to 
talk  intelligently  about  his  new  novel.  Be- 


252    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

sides,  he's  the  dearest  soul  imaginable  —  a 
gentleman  altogether,  gentle  and  manly,  and 
the  very  soul  of  honor  and  chivalry.  I  wish 
all  our  young  men  were  such  as  he  is.  Be 
sure,  when  you  talk  to  him  to  remember  that 
it  was  his  brother,  Philip  Pendleton  Cooke, 
who  wrote  *  Florence  Vane/  the  poem  you 
were  reading  last  night.  There's  a  chance  that 
some  others  may  call  to-day,  possibly  John  R. 
Thompson,  or  even  '  the  solitary  horseman.'  " 

"  Who's  the  solitary  horseman,  please  ?  " 
asked  Val.  "I've  met  a  Mr.  Cooke  and 
Mr.  Thompson,  but  who  is  the  other  ?  " 

"Why,  George  Prince  Regent  James,  of 
course.  That  isn't  his  name  exactly,  but  we 
who  know  him  and  love  him,  call  him  that, 
just  for  fun,  and  because  he  is  a  very  prince 
regent  of  courtesy.  His  real  name  is  George 
Payne  Rainsford  James,  and  you've  read  his 
novels  as  by  G.  P.  R.  James.  He's  Her 
Britannic  Majesty's  Consul  in  Richmond  and 
the  j  oiliest  old  boy  you  ever  saw.  John  R. 
Thompson,  as  of  course  you  know,  is  another 
of  our  literary  lights.  He's  a  poet  and  the 
editor  of  the  Southern  Literary  Messenger. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    253 

By  the  way,  in  case,  he  should  call  you'd  better 
beforehand  read  a  little  poem  he  has  just  pub- 
lished. It  is  called  'Lou.'  You'll  find  the 
magazine  containing  it  on  my  dressing  table. 
It  has  a  line  in  it  well  worth  remembering, 
Describing  Lou  it  says : 

'  And  the  soft   October   sunshine  was  tangled  in 
her  hair.' 

That's  better  than  Tennyson's 

'  Glittering  like  a  swarm  of  fireflies,  tangled  in  a 
silver  braid,' 

because  it's  simpler  and  more  natural,  it  seems 
to  me.  If  you  agree  with  me,  remember  to 
express  that  opinion  the  first  time  Thompson 
calls.  There  are  some  others.  I  think  you've 
met  Mr.  DeWitt,  the  editor,  and  Mr.  A.  Jud- 
son  Crane  who  practices  law  for  a  living  and 
writes  poetry  for  pleasure.  Now  that  I  think 
of  it,  Richmond  is  quite  a  literary  centre. 
There  are  four  or  five  of  my  Richmond  college 
boys  who  write  verses  for  the  Waverly  Mag- 
azine and  send  them  to  me  to  be  admired." 

"  There  don't  seem  to  be  any  women  in 
your  list,"  said  Valorie. 


254    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Oh,  of  course  there  are  Marion  Harland 
and  Mary  Raglan  and  half  a  dozen  other 
dear  friends  of  mine  who  write  divinely.  But 
they  are  women  and  if  any  of  them  should  call 
I'd  order  them  up  here  for  a  cozy  chat.  I 
was  only  cataloguing  the  men,  because  if  any 
one  of  them  calls  you'll  have  to  receive  him 
and  tell  him  I've  wrapped  myself  up  in  cotton 
wool  till  I'm  utterly  invisible.  He'll  be  glad 
of  that,  if  he  has  good  taste,  and  if  he  hasn't 
he  may  as  well  go  away.  You  see,  dear,  men 
are  like  morning  glories." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why  morning  glories  lovingly  climb  over 
any  old  stump  or  railpile,  and  cling  to  it  as  if 
they  really  appreciated  it,  when  in  fact  what 
they  want  is  access  to  the  sunlight  above.  So 
it  is  with  men.  I'm  over  forty,  my  dear,  and 
supremely  happily  married.  I  love  and  trust 
my  husband  and  he  loves  and  trusts  me.  In- 
cidentally, and  just  for  your  private  instruc- 
tion, he  and  I  worship  each  other  in  private, 
though  in  public  we  pose  merely  as  the  best  of 
good  comrades.  We're  carrying  on  a  social 
establishment  together,  and  we're  getting  a  lot 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    255 

of  fun  out  of  it.  He  rejoices  to  see  me  a 
social  queen,  and  I  rejoice  to  see  him  a  king 
among  men.  He's  a  judge,  you  know,  of  our 
highest  court,  and  so  his  word  is  law.  If  any 
distinguished  gentleman  from  any  part  of  the 
world  comes  to  Richmond,  he  becomes  Judge 
Albemarle's  guest,  quite  as  a  matter  of  course, 
and  I  really  have  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  dear, 
in  deciding  in  each  case  whom  to  invite  to 
meet  the  distinguished  stranger.  I  must  pick 
out  six,  eight  or  ten  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
it  is  a  puzzle  to  know  which  six,  eight  or  ten 
to  choose.  I  must  say  Judge  Albemarle 
is  always  ready  to  help  me.  If  there  are 
thirty  men  who  ought  to  be  invited  and  thirty 
women  of  course,  and  we  can't  invite  but  ten 
of  each  and  don't  know  whom  to  choose,  he 
suddenly  has  an  inspiration.  Not  that  I  sug- 
gest it,  dear,  for  I  never  do  that,  and  when 
you  are  married  you'll  do  well  to  remember 
never  to  suggest  anything  to  your  husband. 
If  you  let  him  take  the  initiative  always,  he'll 
appreciate  his  manhood  and  worship  you  as  the 
very  wisest  woman  in  the  world,  a  woman  who 
adequately  recognizes  masculinity.  But  you 


256    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

can  very  easily  put  him  in  the  way  of  sug- 
gesting the  right  trn'ng. 

"  For  instance,  when  Jack  and  I  —  I  mean 
the  Judge  of  course,  but  I  have  a  habit  of  call- 
ing him  Jack  because  that  is  what  he  was 
called  when  I  married  him  —  when  he  and  I 
find  it  impossible  to  determine  which  ten  men 
should  be  chosen,  of  the  thirty  that  ought  to 
be  invited  to  meet  the  distinguished  stranger, 
I  fall  into  a  state  of  hopeless  imbecility  and 
begin  '  wishing  '  things.  Of  course  '  wish- 
ing'  is  the  resort  and  resource  of  imbeciles 
only.  I  '  wish  '  our  dining  room  would  ac- 
commodate the  whole  thirty  and  the  comple- 
mentary women,  and  I  say,  'then  we  could 
give  three  dinners  at  once.'  Of  course  the 
wish  is  futile,  and  I  know  it;  but  it  suggests 
something  brilliant  to  Jack,  and  that  is  what  I 
intend. 

" '  Great  thought,'  he  exclaims.  '  We 
can't  give  one  dinner  to  thirty  men  and  thirty 
women  but  why  not  give  three  dinners  to  ten 
men  and  ten  women  each,  on  successive  even- 
ings? It  would  emphasize  your  social  con- 
trol of  the  distinguished  stranger.'  I  meekly 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    257 

submit  and  the  thing  goes  off  perfettly.  Jack, 
the  dear  fellow  —  oh,  I  forgot,  I  should  say 
Judge  Albemarle  —  is  happy  and  I  am  happy, 
and  everybody  else  is  happy.  There's  nothing 
in  the  world  like  tact,  Val,  and  after  all  it  is 
only  a  tender  deference  to  other  people's  self 
love.  And  why  shouldn't  we  minister  to  that  ? 
It  is  only  a  kindly,  generous,  sympathetic 
thing  to  do.  Did  it  ever  occur  to  you,  Val, 
that  to  every  human  being  the  most  interest- 
ing thing  in  existence  is  himself?  Then  if 
we  want  our  fellows  to  be  happy,  why 
shouldn't  we  feel  and  manifest  an  interest  in 
them?  That's  what  we  call  'tact'  but  after 
all  it  is  nothing  but  kindly  human  sympathy, 
and  as  we  are  all  human,  why  shouldn't  we 
cultivate  it  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  only 
a  choice  between  '  tact,'  which  means  sym- 
pathy, and  the  utter  selfishness  which  puts 
others  out  of  the  reckoning  and  regards  only 
oneself.  For  my  part  I  prefer  to  be  interested 
in  others  and  to  make  them  feel  that  I  am  so." 
"  But  my  dear  Mrs.  Albemarle,"  said  Val- 
orie,  who  neither  understood  nor  suspected 
what  was  going  on  with  respect  to  herself,  and 


258    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

who  knew  -not  why  she  was  lingering  so  long 
in  town,  "  All  you  are  saying  to  me  sounds  as 
if  I  were  to  remain  here  for  a  long  time  to 
come,  when  I'm  daily  expecting  Uncle  But- 
ler to  send  the  Woodlands  carriage  for  me. 
In  fact  I've  written  asking  him  to  do  so,  now 
that  the  theatricals  are  over.  Of  course  it's 
delightful  to  be  with  you,  but  Uncle  Butler 
needs  me  to  keep  him  company,  and  I'm  posi- 
tively frightened  when  I  think  how  the  house- 
keeping there  is  going  at  loose  ends." 

"  My  dear,"  returned  the  elder  woman, 
"you  don't  understand.  You  are  staying 
here  not  only  with  Colonel  Shenstone's  con- 
sent, but  by  his  desire.  You  shall  know  all 
about  it  presently,  but  just  now  it's  a  dead  se- 
cret between  Colonel  Shenstone  and  me." 

With  that  she  withdrew  into  her  dressing 
room  to  "  snuggle  into  something  soft  and 
warm  and  easy,"  as  she  had  said,  and  Val- 
orie  sat  down  in  great  perplexity.  She  took 
up  the  magazine  and  tried  to  read  John  R. 
Thompson's  little  poem,  but  she  could  not 
keep  her  attention  fixed  upon  the  lines.  As 
she  thought  of  what  her  hostess  had  said  to 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    259 

her,  her  perplexity  became  a  troubled  anxiety. 
Could  it  be  that  she  had  offended  Colonel 
Shenstone,  or  that  he  too  had  been  displeased 
by  her  assumption  of  Jennie  Right's  part? 
He  had  not  seemed  to  be  so  at  the  time,  but 
perhaps  it  was  only  his  courtesy  to  conceal  his 
displeasure.  Then  another  thought  came  to 
her.  Perhaps  he  had  fallen  ill  again  and  was 
trying  to  conceal  the  fact  from  her.  At  that 
thought  she  became  positively  alarmed. 

At  that  moment  Mrs.  Albemarle  returned  to 
the  room  just  as  a  maid  entered,  bearing  Phil 
Shenstone's  card. 

"  Go  down  and  receive  him,  dear.  Tell  him 
I'm  fleece-lined  now  and  all  muffled  up,  and 
am  seeing  nobody  but  that  you  are  taking  my 
place." 


XXVI 

IT  was  with  something  of  eagerness  but 
more  of  reluctance  that  Valorie  descended 
the  stairs  and  entered  the  parlors  to  meet 
Phil  Shenstone  alone.  She  eagerly  wanted  to 
see  him  again  and  talk  with  him  in  the  old  fa- 
miliar way.  There  were  scores  of  things  she 
wanted  to  say  to  him  and  scores  of  other 
things  she  wanted  to  ask  him.  And  yet  she 
felt  a  strange  shrinking  from  the  interview 
which  she  could  in  no  wise  explain  to  herself. 
If  she  could  have  had  Mrs.  Albemarle  with 
her,  as  she  had  had  her  in  the  morning,  as  a 
sort  of  protector,  she  felt  that  the  meeting 
would  have  been  an  altogether  welcome  event. 
As  it  was,  she  twice  paused  upon  the  stairs, 
half  minded  to  retreat.  She  was  both  amused 
and  angry  with  herself  for  her  senseless 
shrinking. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  me,  I  wonder  ?  " 
260 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    261 

she  said  to  herself.  "  I'm  not  afraid  of  Mr. 
Phil  —  at  least  I  never  was  before.  No, 
that's  not  it.  I'm  not  afraid  of  him  now. 
He's  the  best  friend  I  ever  had  in  the  world. 
It  is  something  else,  I'm  afraid  of.  Maybe 
I'm  afraid  of  myself.  I  reckon  that's  it,  but 
I  don't  understand  it.  It's  only  foolishness 
anyhow." 

And  with  a  determined  dismissal  of  the  un- 
worthy fear  she  calmly  passed  into  the  room 
where  he  sat,  and  tried  to  greet  her  friend 
and  protector  with  the  old  cordiality  that  had 
marked  their  intercourse  ever  since  he  had 
taken  her  from  the  convent,  rescuing  her  from 
something,  she  knew  not  what,  and  bringing 
her  into  the  easy,  graceful  and  strangely  fas- 
cinating Virginia  life  that  she  loved  so  much. 
Her  effort  was  measurably  successful,  but  not 
so  completely  so  as  she  had  hoped  to  make  it. 
Phil  Shenstone  discovered  the  effort  she  was 
making  to  banish  restraint  from  her  manner, 
and  to  him  the  explanation  seemed  obvious. 

"  She  is  shy  of  telling  me  about  her  feel- 
ing for  Greg  Tazewell,"  he  thought.  And  on 
his  own  part  he  dreaded  lest  she  should  do 


262    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

so.  He  had  no  doubt  of  the  facts,  but  he 
shrank  from  her  confession  of  them  as  from 
an  expected  blow. 

In  his  anxiety  to  prevent  the  open  revela- 
tion, he  managed  to  put  something  of  strange- 
ness and  hardness  into  his  own  manner,  which 
Valorie  had  never  seen  there  before. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  meeting  her 
after  so  long  an  absence,  his  first  words  would 
have  been: 

"  Sit  here  by  me,  Val,  and  tell  me  all  about 
yourself." 

He  dared  not  say  that  now,  lest  the  telling 
"  all  about  herself,"  should  consist  chiefly  in 
telling  him  the  one  thing  he  shrank  from  hear- 
ing from  her  lips,  though  he  confidently  be- 
lieved he  knew  it  already.  He  felt  that  he 
could  hear  that  news  with  a  calmer  mind  from 
Greg  Tazewell  himself,  and  indeed  he  had 
gone  to  Greg's  hotel  room  while  waiting  for 
the  letter  of  credit,  for  the  express  purpose 
of  giving  his  friend  an  opportunity  to  tell 
him.  Half  to  his  disappointment  and  half  to 
his  relief,  he  had  discovered  that  the  young 
doctor  had  left  at  noon  for  New  York,  leav- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    263 

ing  a  note  for  himself,  saying  that  he  had 
been  suddenly  called  North  and  giving  him  an 
address  in  New  York  where  he  might  be 
reached  by  mail  or  telegraph  if  Colonel  Shen- 
stone  should  fall  ill  again  or. in  the  event  of 
any  other  emergency  requiring  his  presence  in 
Virginia. 

Confidently  supposing  that  Valorie  must 
know  all  about  this  matter,  Phil  was  'on  the 
point  of  asking  her  when  Tazewell  would  re- 
turn, but  he  shrank  from  that  as  he  had  done 
from  the  other  suggested  opening  of  the  con- 
versation, lest  it  lead  at  once  to  the  revelation 
he  dreaded  to  receive  from  her  lips. 

So  after  the  first  greetings  were  over  there 
was  an  awkward  pause  —  such  as  had  never 
before  vexed  the  intercourse  of  these  two.  By 
way  of  ending  it,  Phil  said : 

"  I'm  delighted  to  see  you  looking  so  well, 
Val,  and  I'm  glad  to  tell  you  that  our  steam- 
boats are  all  prosperously  busy  again." 

The  girl  eagerly  caught  at  the  opportunity 
thus  to  avoid  a  too  personal  conversation. 

"Yes,"  she  said  quickly,  "Dr.  Tazewell 
told  me  a  few  days  ago  that  you  had  succeeded 


264    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

in  getting  your  business  affairs  into  a  satis- 
factory state  again,  and  I'm  so  glad  for  your 
sake." 

"  You've  reason  to  be  glad  for  your  own, 
Val.  Did  I  never  tell  you  that  all  the  money 
your  father  left  with  me  for  you  is  invested 
in  those  steamboats  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  you  ever  did,  or  if  you  did 
I  suppose  I  wasn't  paying  attention.  Anyhow 
I've  been  perfectly  satisfied  to  leave  all  that 
to  you." 

"  Thank  you.  I'm  glad  to  report  that  your 
money  has  quite  doubled  itself  since  your 
father's  death,  and  in  the  present  condition  of 
the  steamboat  business  it  is  likely  to  double  it- 
self again  within  the  next  year, —  unless  for 
some  reason  you  should  decide  to  withdraw  it 
and  invest  it  in  some  other  way." 

"  Why  how  could  I  ever  think  of  that,  Mr. 
Phil?  You're  the  best  friend  I  ever  had, 
aren't  you?  " 

"  I  hope  you'll  always  think  so  Val,  and  I 
intend  to  be  that  always,  but  I  didn't  know. 
You  see  —  well  don't  let  us  talk  of  that. 
When  Greg  comes  back  — " 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    265 

"  Why,  has  Dr.  Tazewell  gone  away  ?  "  she 
asked  in  a  surprise  so  genuine  that  he  could 
not  doubt  its  reality.  "  I  don't  think  he  told 
Mrs.  Albemarle  he  was  going." 

Phil  Shenstone  was  sorely  puzzled,  but  the 
subject  was  a  dangerous  one  for  minute  in- 
quiry, so  he  merely  answered: 

"  I  rather  wonder  at  that.  All  I  know  is 
that  when  I  tried  to  see  him  an  hour  or  two 
ago  I  found  him  gone.  He  left  a  note  for  me 
saying  he  had  been  suddenly  called  to  New 
York  and  giving  me  his  address  there." 

The  girl  sat  in  meditation  for  a  moment. 
Then  she  asked : 

"  Will  you  give  me  the  address  ?  You  see 
if  Uncle  Butler  should  have  another  danger- 
ous attack  I  should  want  to  telegraph  him  to 
come  back  immediately.  I  simply  couldn't  let 
any  other  doctor  treat  Uncle  Butler.  I  don't 
believe  there  is  any  other  doctor  who  could 
do  it  successfully.  At  any  rate  I  shouldn't 
want  any  other  to  have  the  case." 

Phil  personally  shared  Valerie's  opinion  of 
the  superiority  of  Greg  Tazewell's  learning 
and  skill,  but  he  interpreted  her  attitude  as  a 


266   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

confirmation  of  his  conviction  that  these  two 
had  come  to  an  understanding.  "  A  woman 
never  thinks  in  that  way,"  he  reflected,  "  about 
any  man  but  the  one  who  has  won  her  heart 
completely."  ^ 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  he  answered, 
"  but  I  hope  the  emergency  you  suggest  may 
not  arise.  I'm  going  out  to  Woodlands  this 
afternoon  by  the  train,  to  attend  to  some  busi- 
ness. I  imagine  Uncle  Butler  has  been  won- 
dering why  I  am  not  there  already.  But  I 
couldn't  go  till  now.  I  had  some  matters  to 
attend  to  here,  chiefly  for  Mrs.  Albemarle.  By 
the  way,  the  main  thing  she  wanted  me  to  do 
was  to  get  this  document  for  you,  and  as  I 
can't  see  her  I  must  put  it  into  your  hands. 
It's  just  as  well,  for  you  must  put  your  signa- 
ture beneath  it." 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked  with  that  little 
scared  feeling  with  which  women  unaccus- 
tomed to  documentary  solemnities  always  ap- 
proach a  matter  of  the  kind. 

"  Oh,  it  is  nothing  very  dreadful  —  nothing 
that  need  alarm  you.  It  is  only  a  letter  of 
credit." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    267 

"What  is  that?" 

"  Why,  simply  a  letter  issued  by  a  bank, 
telling  bankers  in  other  cities  that  you  have 
money  on  deposit  in  the  bank  issuing  it,  and 
asking  them  to  cash  any  drafts  you  may  make 
upon  your  account." 

"  But  I  haven't  any  use  for  such  a  letter  as 
that  —  a  letter  of  credit." 

"  You  might  have,  Val.  If  you  should 
travel  to  the  North  or  to  Europe,  you'd 
need  — " 

The  girl  rose  excitedly  and  confronted  Phil, 
who  courteously  rose  as  she  did. 

"What  does  all  this  mean,  Mr.  Phil?"  she 
asked  with  a  flash  of  anger  in  her  eyes  which 
made  her  seem  more  beautiful  than  ever  to 
Phil  Shenstone.  "  Mrs.  Albemarle  is  having 
a  lot  of  clothes  made  for  me  that  I  don't  in 
the  least  need,  and  she  won't  tell  me  why. 
She  refuses  to  let  me  go  back  to  Woodlands, 
and  she  won't  tell  me  why.  Uncle  Butler 
doesn't  send  the  carriage  for  me,  and  he  won't 
tell  me  why.  And  now  you  have  been  getting 
this  paper  for  me,  and  you  won't  tell  me  why. 
You  must  and  you  shall,  or  I'll  go  to  Wood- 


268    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

lands  by  train  and  make  Uncle  Butler  tell  me. 
What  does  it  all  mean?" 

"  Sit  down  again,  Val,  and  listen,"  he  said 
soothingly.  "  I  see  how  you  feel  about  these 
things  and  I  don't  wonder  you  feel  so.  You 
think  we  are  treating  you  like  a  child,  and  we 
have  no  right  to  do  that,  for  you  are  a  grown 
woman  now  and  a  woman  entitled  to  be  con- 
sulted in  all  that  concerns  herself.  But,  be- 
lieve me,  those  who  care  very  dearly  for  you, 
have  preserved  secrecy  with  respect  to  those 
plans,  not  because  they  did  not  trust  your  judg- 
ment and  your  womanly  capacity  to  act 
wisely,  but  simply  because  they  wished  to  spare 
you  annoyance  over  troubles  that  may  never 
come.  For  my  part  I  do  not  think  their  se- 
crecy wise  in  itself  or  just  to  you,  and  I  am  de- 
liberately going  to  betray  it,  by  telling  you 
the  facts  so  far  as  you  may  care  to  know  them. 
I'm  under  no  pledge  of  secrecy  and  no  obliga- 
tion of  any  kind  to  withhold  these  things.  So 
if  you  will  dismiss  your  vexation  with  me  and 
listen,  you  shall  hear  all  about  it." 

"Oh,  thank  you,  Mr.  Phil,"  she  said 
eagerly,  resuming  her  seat.  "  You  know  I 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    269 

couldn't  be  angry  with  you.  But  please  go  on. 
I'm  on  pins  and  needles  of  anxiety." 

Unhappily  for  Valorie,  another  caller  was 
at  that  moment  announced.  As  she  after- 
wards said : 

"  Things  will  happen  in  that  way  sometimes, 
and  one  just  has  to  bear  it  with  a  smiling 
face;  but  it  is  very  annoying." 

She  bore  herself  well  under  the  infliction, 
but  she  made  what  effort  she  could  to  shorten 
the  period  of  interruption.  She  told  the  vis- 
itor, with  every  mark  of  sincerity,  how  sorry 
she  was  that  Mrs.  Albemarle  could  see  no 
callers  that  day,  and  as  she  did  so  she  in- 
dulged a  hope  that  he  would  announce  his  pur- 
pose to  call  again,  and  take  his  leave.  Instead 
of  that  he  gallantly  declared  that  Valorie's 
presence  amply  compensated  for  any  other  ab- 
sence. 

"  I  shall  certainly  not  report  that  speech  to 
Mrs.  Albemarle,"  she  replied. 

"  No,  please  don't." 

And  so  with  entirely  vapid  and  meaningless 
pleasantries  for  conversation,  he  sat  out  the 
full  time  allowed  by  custom  for  a  call.  It  was 


270    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

a  brief  time,  of  course,  but  to  impatient  Val- 
orie  it  seemed  at  least  an  hour.  And  the 
worst  of  it  was  that  she  was  beset  by  appre- 
hension lest  some  other  caller  should  come  be- 
fore this  one  left.  She  was  spared  that,  how- 
ever, and  at  last  Phil  was  able  to  tell  her  what 
she  so  greatly  wanted  to  hear. 

"  There  are  some  people,  Val,"  he  began, 
"  who  are  trying  to  get  possession  and  control 
of  you  by  some  sort  of  legal  process.  I 
don't  understand  just  how  they  intend  to  go 
about  it,  but  I  suppose  Uncle  Butler  does,  and 
he  had  Greg  Tazewell  telegraph  me  to  come 
on  here  so  that  I  may  give  him  all  the  facts  in 
your  case.  You  see  he  must  know  everything 
I  know,  in  order  to  defeat  these  people's  pur- 
poses. That's  why  I  must  go  to  Woodlands 
by  the  afternoon  train.  I'm  afraid  he  is  very 
impatiently  waiting  for  me.  As  nearly  as  I 
understand  the  matter  he  intends  to  fight  it 
out  in  the  courts,  if  he  finds  he  can  do  so  suc- 
cessfully, and  if  not,  then  to  fight  it  out  in 
some  other  way.  Until  he  gets  all  the  facts 
from  me,  he  cannot  be  sure  what  he  can  do 
in  the  courts.  If  he  finds  that  he  cannot  surely 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    271 

beat  the  rascally  lawyers  at  the  legal  game, 
I  reckon  he  intends  to  put  you  out  of  their 
reach  and  beat  them  in  that  way.  I  don't 
know  that.  It  is  only  my  conjecture.  I 
imagine  he  is  keeping  you  here  with  Mrs.  Al- 
bemarle  so  that  nobody  can  serve  any  sort  of 
papers  upon  you,  and  I  suppose  that  if  worse 
comes  to  worst,  he  intends  Mrs.  Albemarle  to 
slip  away  with  you  and  take  you  to  Europe 
for  a  time.  I  suppose  that  is  why  she  is  hav- 
ing a  wardrobe  prepared  for  you  —  so  that 
you  may  be  ready  to  slip  away  at  a  moment's 
notice." 

The  girl's  face  was  so  pale  that  Phil  thought 
she  was  going  to  faint,  but  there  was  a  reso- 
lute look  in  her  eyes  that  reassured  him.  She 
tried  to  say  something,  but  succeeded  only  in 
getting  out  the  words :  "  Go  on  please !  " 

"  I've  told  you  all  you  need  to  know  for 
the  present,"  he  said,  "  all  that  I  myself  know, 
for  that  matter,  and  I  have  barely  time  to»catch 
my  train.  You  must  go  above  stairs  now  and 
rest.  I'll  return  to  Richmond  the  moment  I 
get  through  with  Uncle  Butler.  Till  then 
adieu." 


272    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Valerie  would  have  detained  him  if  she 
could.  She  had  many  questions  to  ask  and 
some  things  to  say  on  her  own  account.  But 
Phil  understood,  if  she  did  not,  how  important 
it  was  not  to  tax  her  nervous  strength  further, 
and  the  necessity  of  hurrying  to  catch  the  train 
afforded  him  ample  excuse  for  an  abrupt  part- 
ing. Fearing  that  she  might  faint  upon  his 
withdrawal,  he  pulled  the  bell  cord  before  he 
passed  out  the  door. 

She  called  after  him : 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Phil,  with  all  my  heart. 
You're  always  good  to  me." 


XXVII 

PHIL  SHENSTONE  had  been  gone 
scarcely  half  an  hour  when  the  Wood- 
lands' carriage  drove  up,  with  Val- 
orie's  own  maid  for  its  solitary  passenger. 

The  maid  bore  a  brief  note  from  Col.  Shen- 
stone  to  Mrs.  Albemarle,  asking  her  to  send 
Valorie  home  in  the  carriage  and  adding  by 
way  of  explanation: 

"  I  fear  I  am  coming  down  again  under  a 
severe  attack  of  my  old  enemy,  gout,  and  with 
Greg  gone  North  —  I  don't  know  where  — 
and  Phil  not  arrived  yet,  I  cannot  get  on  with- 
out my  Little  Minx.  Please  let  the  carriage 
begin  its  return  journey  as  soon  as  Valorie 
can  be  ready,  lest  the  trip  extend  beyond  the 
daylight." 

Valorie,  pale,  frightened  and  exceedingly  in- 
dignant, was  sitting  in  her  own  room  when 
the  carriage  came,  trying  to  formulate  a  pur- 
273 


274   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

pose  already  born  in  her  mind,  and  to  deter- 
mine in  what  way  she  could  most  effectively 
carry  it  out.  She  was  resolved,  for  one  thing 
that  she  would  not  run  away  from  the  danger 
that  threatened  her,  and  the  nature  of  which 
she  understood  more  clearly  than  Phil  Shen- 
stone  did. 

"  It  would  be  cowardly  to  do  that,"  she  re- 
flected, "  and  I  don't  think  I'm  a  coward.  No, 
I'll  stay  while  Uncle  Butler  and  Mr.  Phil  fight 
it  out  for  me,  and  if  they  are  beaten,  I  know 
what  to  do.  I  know  what  those  people  want. 
They  intend  to  get  possession  of  me  and  make 
a  public  performer  of  me  for  their  own  benefit. 
Very  well.  I'll  balk  that.  They  may  get 
possession  of  me,  but  they  cannot  make  a  pub- 
lic performer  of  me,  for  I  will  not  perform. 
Not  a  note  will  I  strike  for  them,  not  a  step 
will  I  dance,  no  matter  what  they  may  do  to 
me." 

It  was  then  that  Mrs.  Albemarle  entered  the 
room  bearing  Colonel  Shenstone's  note,  and  in- 
stantly every  thought  was  driven  out  of  the 
girl's  mind  except  that  of  setting  out  for 
Woodlands  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   275 

She  bade  her  maid  pack  a  little  trunk  for  her 
hurriedly. 

"Just  throw  the  things  in,  Sylvia;  never 
mind  folding  them.  We  must  get  away 
quickly.  Is  your  master  very,  very  ill?  Tell 
me  the  truth,  do  you  hear  ?  " 

"  No,  Miss  Valorie,  he  doan  seem  very  sick 
to  me.  He's  jes'  limpin'  roun'  an'  frettin'  like, 
an'  his  lips  is  purty  pale,  but  dat's  all,  as  fur's 
I  kin  see.  But  he's  mighty  onpatient  to  git 
you  home.  He  scolded  me  fur  wantin'  to 
stop  long  enough  to  change  my  dress,  and 
made  me  git  into  de  carriage  jes'  as  I  was, 
'thout  even  breshin'  my  ha'." 

"  I  understand.  Hand  me  his  note  from 
the  table  there." 

She  was  changing  her  gown  with  Mrs.  Al- 
bemarle's  assistance,  and  as  she  stood  she 
read  the  note  again.  One  phrase  in  it  struck 
her  for  the  first  time.  It  was  that  in  which 
Colonel  Shenstone  mentioned  Greg  Tazewell's 
absence  at  the  North  and  added,  "  I  don't  know 
where."  Instantly  she  realized  that  no  tele- 
gram had  yet  been  sent  to  Tazewell ;  that  it 
would  be  at  least  two  hours  before  Phil  could 


276    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

reach  Woodlands;  and  that  it  would  be  still 
another  hour  before  he  could  get  a  telegram 
back  to  the  railway  station  for  transmission 
to  New  York.  Fortunately  Phil  had  given 
her  the  address,  and  she  resolved  to  save  those 
three  hours  by  sending  a  despatch  on  her  own 
responsibility.  About  the  only  definite  idea 
she  had  with  regard  to  a  telegraphic  message 
was  that  it  should  be  couched  in  as  few  words 
as  possible.  In  her  effort  to  comply  with  that 
requirement  she  managed  to  make  her  despatch 
a  very  peremptory  one.  It  read : 
"  Come  home  quick.  Uncle  ill." 
She  did  not  pause  to  reflect  that  as  Tazewell 
had  not  left  Richmond  until  noon  of  that  day, 
he  was  scarcely  more  than  started  on  his  jour- 
ney. In  fact  he  did  not  reach  New  York  till 
the  next  day.  When  he  did,  he  went  to  a 
hotel  and  then  at  once  to  the  banker's,  to 
whose  care  the  despatch  had  been  sent. 

He  obeyed  the  summons  instantly.  But  it 
very  greatly  distressed  him  that  the  occasion 
for  his  return  had  arisen.  He  had  nothing  to 
do  in  New  York,  and  the  occasion  for  his  go- 
ing thither  at  all  had  been  only  a  pretended 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   277 

necessity.  He  had  gone  solely  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  himself  out  of  Phil's  way,  and  leav- 
ing him  a  fair  field  with  Valorie.  For  if  Phil 
Shenstone  was  one  of  two  gentlemen  of  Vir- 
ginia, Greg  Tazewell  was  the  other.  They 
were  equally  chivalric  in  soul  and  conduct, 
each  equally  resolute  to  do  his  duty  regardless 
of  his  own  desires  and  of  consequences  to  him- 
self. As  Phil,  confidently  believing  that  his 
friend  had  won  favor  in  Valerie's  eyes,  had 
betaken  himself  to  the  West,  in  order  to  leave 
Greg  free  to  win  the  woman  they  both  loved, 
so  now  Greg  Tazewell,  equally  convinced  that 
Phil  Shenstone  needed  only  to  woo  in  order 
to  win,  had  gone  to  the  North  to  take  himself 
out  of  the  way  of  the  wooing.  In  both  cases 
the  man  making  the  sacrifice  of  self  upon  the 
altar  of  honor  was  additionally  moved  to  the 
course  he  took  by  a  natural  desire  to  spare 
himself  the  pain  of  witnessing  a  happiness  that 
involved  himself  in  distress.  Just  as  Phil 
Shenstone  would  have  remained  at  the  West 
with  this  intent,  but  for  the  peremptory  sum- 
mons home  for  Valerie's  defense,  so  Greg 
Tazewell  would  at  this  time  have  gone  abroad 


278   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

upon  a  pretence  of  scientific  study,  but  for 
Colonel  Shenstone's  need  of  him. 

Thus  do  men  of  sensitive  minds  play  at  cross 
purposes  when  they  happen  to  be  loyal  friends 

—  and  in  love  with  the  same  woman.     These 
things  constitute  a  part  of  the  Human  Com- 
edy, but  it  sometimes  happens  that  they  con- 
vert the  comedy  into  the  saddest  of  tragedies 

—  for  the  woman  in  the  case. 


XXVIII 

FOR  the  first  few  miles  of  the  journey 
Valorie  had  a  broad,  smooth,  turn- 
pike road  to  travel  over,  and  as  Colonel 
Shenstone's  horses  were  always  good  and  in 
good  condition,  her  continual  urging  induced 
the  driver  to  remain  awake  and  make  rapid 
progress.  Then  came  the  country  roads, 
sometimes  good  in  parts,  in  summer,  but  inex- 
pressibly bad  everywhere  at  this  time  of  year, 
with  long  stretches  of  mire  so  deep  that  even 
the  stout  horses  found  it  difficult  to  achieve 
more  than  a  snail's  pace.  While  passing  over 
those  spaces  the  driver  must  remain  awake,  or 
the  horses,  for  want  of  urging,  would  have 
stopped  entirely. 

Just  as  the  carriage  came  to  the  end  of  a 
long  stretch  of  saturated  and  glutinous   red 
clay  road,  and  began  the  ascent  of  a  hill,  Va- 
lorie was  startled  by  the  appearance  of  Phil 
279 


280    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Shenstone,  on  horseback,  at  the  side  of  the 
vehicle.  His  high  boots  were  red  with  mud, 
as  if  he  had  been  walking,  and  his  clothing, 
and  even  his  face,  were  blotched  with  soil. 

Her  exclamation  and  his  were  in  effect  the 
same  — "  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  Phil 
was  the  first  to  answer. 

"  The  wretched  train  broke  down  a  few 
miles  out  of  town,"  he  said,  "  and  after  wait- 
ing half  an  hour,  seeing  no  prospect  of  its 
speedy  repair,  I  walked  a  mile  or  so  to  a  plan- 
tation, secured  a  good  horse  and  set  out  to 
ride  the  rest  of  the  way.  Seeing  the  Wood- 
lands carriage  ahead  of  me,  I  recpgnized  it  in 
spite  of  its  envelopment  in  mud,  and  hurried 
on  to  catch  up  with  it.  I  didn't  expect  to  find 
you  in  it  though.  If  you'll  shut  your  eyes  a 
little  and  try  to  think  of  my  bedraggled  per- 
son as  that  of  a  gallant  outrider,  devoted  to 
your  service,  I'll  accompany  you  the  rest  of 
the  way." 

"Please  don't  jest,  Mr.  Phil!  Uncle  But- 
ler is  very  ill  again  and  Dr.  Tazewell  isn't  here 
and  I  can't  think  what  may  happen.  I've  tele- 
graphed for  Dr.  Tazewell,  telling  him  to  come 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    281 

home  quick.  How  soon  do  you  think  he  can 
get  here?" 

"  When  did  you  telegraph  ?  " 

"This  afternoon  —  just  before  I  started." 

"  He  won't  be  in  New  York,"  Phil  said,  re- 
flectively, "  till  some  time  to-morrow.  If  he 
starts  back  at  once  —  and  of  course  he  will  — 
he  should  be  here  by  day  after  to-morrow." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that.  How  terrible  it 
is  to  wait  so  long  for  him.  But  you  mustn't 
stay  here  talking  to  me,  please.  Ride  on  as 
fast  as  you  can.  Uncle  Butler  needs  some- 
body with  him,  even  if  Dr.  Tazewell  isn't  at 
hand." 

Phil  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  meditating  upon 
her  last  speech,  to  which  he  attached  a  special 
significance.  The  emphasis  she  had  put  upon 
the  word  "  somebody,"  meant  that  she  re- 
garded his  presence  as  a  very  inadequate  sub- 
stitute for  that  of  Greg  Tazewell. 

"  And  so  it  is/'  he  thought,  "  so  far  as  min- 
istry to  my  uncle  in  his  illness  is  concerned. 
But  is  that  all  she  meant  ?  " 

With  that  he  again  urged  his  horse  forward, 
impatient  to  be  at  Woodlands  where  he  might 


282    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

find  other  occupation  for  his  mind  than  brood- 
ing over  these  things  to  no  purpose. 

"  After  all,"  he  reminded  himself,  "  what 
does  it  matter?  If  I  were  in  any  uncertainty 
it  might  be  worth  my  while  to  speculate  upon 
the  niceties  of  meaning  that  her  words  may 
carry.  As  I  am  not  in  any  uncertainty,  I  must 
regard  myself  as  a  sublimated  idiot  in  doing 
anything  of  the  kind.  I  won't  do  it  again." 

The  winter  sunset  had  already  fallen  when 
he  dismounted  at  Woodlands.  Throwing  his 
rein  to  a  negro  boy  and  bidding  him  take  the 
horse  to  the  stables,  he  hurried  into  the  house 
in  anxiety  as  to  his  uncle's  condition.  He 
found  the  old  gentleman  tossing  about  on  a 
lounge,  and  immediately  ordered  him  to  bed, 
where  one  in  his  condition  belonged. 

"  You're  covered  with  mud,"  said  Colonel 
Shenstone  as  he  submitted  himself  to  be  un- 
dressed by  his  body  servant.  "  You  must  have 
come  on  horseback  ?  " 

"  I  did  —  for  the  greater  part  of  the  way. 
The  train  broke  down.  But  you  musn't  bother 
to  talk  now,  Uncle  Butler.  You  must  get  to 
bed." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    283 

"  Then  you  didn't  bring  my  Little  Minx 
with  you.  I'm  very  sorry." 

"  She  will  be  here  within  half  an  hour.  She 
is  coming  in  the  carriage,  you  know,  and  the 
roads  are  very  heavy.  I  passed  her  a  mile  or 
so  away." 

This  news  brought  a  light  into  the  old  gen- 
tleman's face,  and  without  further  questions  he 
permitted  Phil  to  help  him  into  bed.  But  there 
was  still  something  on  his  mind,  for  as  Phil 
turned  to  the  fire  to  dry  his  boots,  he  called  to 
him: 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Phil.  There's  something 
else.  Those  rascals  will  take  pains  to  know 
that  Val  has  come  home,  and  they  may  try  to 
kidnap  her  under  some  form  of  law,  I  don't 
know  what.  My  head  isn't  clear  and  the  pain 
is  so  great.  You  must  look  out  for  her  Phil, 
and  not  let  them  come  near  the  house." 

"  Rest  easy,  Uncle.  I'll  look  out  for  that, 
and  you  may  go  to  sleep  in  perfect  confidence 
that  nobody  shall  approach  this  house  during 
your  illness  without  my  knowledge  and  con- 
sent. There's  the  carriage  with  Val." 

He  hurried  out  to  assist  her  to  alight  but  she 


284   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

had  not  waited  for  him.  She  had  herself 
opened  the  carriage  door,  sprung  out  of  the 
vehicle  and  nimbly  covered  the  ground  that  lay 
between  the  landing  and  the  porch,  where  she 
met  Phil  on  his  way  out. 

"How  is  Uncle  Butler?"  she  asked,  but 
without  waiting  to  hear  his  answer,  she  hur- 
ried to  the  old  gentleman's  room  to  see  for 
herself. 

She  found  him  distinctly  better  than  he  had 
been  half  an  hour  before, —  because  of  the  com- 
fort of  her  coming.  But  she  wanted  the  full- 
est possible  information  and  sought  it  by  ques- 
tioning while  she  was  throwing  open  her  wraps 
and  removing  her  bonnet, —  for  in  those  old 
days  even  the  youngest  women  wore  bonnets 
and  were  exceedingly  pretty  in  them,  too. 
Those  old  daguerreotypes  which  suggest  the 
contrary  are  bearers  of  false  witness. 

"  But  you  must  be  very  tired,  Little  Minx, 
and  you  can't  have  had  your  dinner,"  said  he, 
in  tender  concern  for  her. 

"  I  was  very  tired,  but  I'm  rested  now  that 
I'm  with  you  and  find  you  so  much  better  than 
I  feared.  Are  you  sleepy,  Uncle  Butler  ?  " 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  285 

"  No,  my  dear.  I've  slept  off  and  on  all 
day." 

"  Then,  if  I  may,  I'm  going  to  have  my  little 
dinner  right  here  in  your  room.  May  I  ?  " 

His  look  of  gratification  was  answer  enough, 
as  she  turned  to  give  orders  to  a  servant. 

"  I'll  run  upstairs  and  get  myself  into  an 
easy  gown  of  some  sort,  Uncle,  but  I'll  be  back 
in  a  minute." 

"  God  bless  the  Little  Minx !  "  he  murmured 
as  she  left  the  room.  When  her  dinner  was 
brought  in,  the  two  fell  into  a  quiet,  soothing 
talk  which  lasted  for  more  than  an  hour  in  a 
lazy,  desultory,  and  comfortable  fashion. 

In  the  meanwhile  Phil  Shenstone  made  prep- 
arations for  the  defense  he  had  promised.  He 
armed  three  young  negro  men  with  shotguns, 
and  stationing  them  in  commanding  positions, 
ordered  them  to  see  to  it  that  nobody  not  a 
friend  of  the  family,  known  to  them  as  such, 
should  be  permitted  upon  any  pretext  whatso- 
ever to  approach  the  house  until  he  should  him- 
self be  notified.  He  had  the  utmost  confidence 
in  the  execution  of  his  instructions  to  the  letter. 
He  had  been  brought  up  in  the  plantation  life. 


286   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

He  knew  the  loyalty  of  the  negroes  to  their 
master;  he  knew  their  lifelong  habit  of  obey- 
ing orders,  as  the  soldier  does,  without  ques- 
tioning them  and  without  a  thought  of  personal 
responsibility  for  the  consequences  of  obedi- 
ence. 

"  I  suppose  it's  a  high-handed  proceeding," 
he  said  to  Valorie  when  she  left  her  uncle 
asleep  and  joined  him  in  the  hall.  "  It  might 
make  trouble,  in  case  a  sheriff's  deputy  should 
come  to  serve  papers.  I  think  I've  heard 
something  about  the  enormity  of  the  offense 
involved  in  resisting  an  officer  of  the  law  in  the 
execution  of  his  duty,  but  — " 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Phil,  please  don't  get  yourself  ar- 
rested !  "  pleaded  the  girl  with  much  concern  in 
her  voice,  a  fact  which  Phil  observed  with  a 
little  quickening  of  the  pulse.  "  Please  don't 
take  any  risk  like  that." 

"  Nobody  is  likely  to  arrest  me  while  those 
boys  are  on  guard,"  he  replied  smiling.  "  Be- 
sides, a  man's  house  is  his  castle,  you  know, 
and  he  has  a  right  to  defend  it  against  all  in- 
truders. At  any  rate  I've  undertaken  the  task 
of  excluding  all  strangers  from  this  house,  and 


TWO  GENTLEMENi  OF  VIRGINIA    287 

of  course  I'll  do  it,  if  only  in  order  that  Uncle 
Butler  may  sleep  peacefully  and  get  well." 

"  You  really  do  think  he'll  get  well,  don't 
you,  Mr.  Phil?"  eagerly  asked  the  girl  with 
her  hands  pleadingly  upon  his  arm.  She  had 
thus  easily  and  quickly  transferred  her  solici- 
tude from  the  younger  man  to  the  older  one, 
and  the  completeness  of  the  transfer  seemed  to 
Phil  Shenstone  chasteningly  significant. 


XXIX 

VALORIE  slept  that  night  upon  an  im- 
provised couch  in  a  room  adjoining 
Colonel  Shenstone's,  while  his  body 
servant  watched  by  his  bedside,  with  orders  to 
wake  her  instantly  if  necessity  should  arise. 

When  morning  came  the  sick  man  was 
neither  better  nor  worse,  but  to  Phil's  sugges- 
tion that  they  should  send  for  some  neighbor- 
ing physician,  Valorie  opposed  an  entreaty. 

"  I  don't  think  we  need  do  that,"  she  re- 
plied. "  Dr.  Tazewell  will  surely  be  here  by 
to-morrow  night,  and  you  know  he's  the  only 
doctor  round  here  who  knows  how  to  treat 
such  a  case.  I  know  all  the  little  palliative 
things  he  would  order  done  if  he  were  here. 
I  can  keep  Uncle  Butler  fairly  comfortable  till 
he  comes,  and  I  don't  want  any  other  doctor  to 
meddle  with  the  case.  Still,  of  course,  it  is  for 
you  to  decide." 

288 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    289 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  wish,"  he  answered, 
"  and  perhaps  you  are  right." 

His  mind  was  upon  this  new  manifestation 
of  Valerie's  attitude  toward  Greg  Tazewell. 
"  She  well  nigh  worships  him,"  he  said  to  him- 
self. "  And  that  is  as  it  should  be, —  under 
the  circumstances."  But  he  did  not  formulate 
the  circumstances  to  which  his  thought  re- 
ferred. 

During  that  afternoon  a  messenger  from  the 
railway  station  brought  a  telegram  from  Greg 
Tazewell  to  Valorie. 

"  Starting  at  once,"  it  read ;  "  if  I  make  all 
connections  should  arrive  at  six  o'clock  to- 
morrow evening." 

"It's  hard  to  wait  so  long,"  said  Valorie; 
"  but  there's  no  help  for  it.  Uncle  seems  a 
little  better  to-day,  and  anyhow,  Dr.  Tazewell 
will  be  here  by  six  or  seven  o'clock  to-morrow 
evening.  Please  send  a  strong,  fast  horse  to 
meet  the  train,  Mr.  Phil." 

"  If  I  make  all  connections,"  the  dispatch 
said.  In  that  primitive  time  the  phrase  cov- 
ered a  good  deal  of  uncertainty.  Railroading 
was  in  its  infancy  then,  or  at  best  in  its  early 


290  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

childhood,  and  travel  was  beset  by  uncer- 
tainty. Tracks  were  ill  built.  Rails  were 
simply  spiked  down  to  ties  that  lay  more  or 
less  loosely  on  the  earthen  roadbed.  The  iron 
rails  were  in  no  way  fastened  together  at  the 
ends,  and  in  many  cases  they  were  badly  lam- 
inated. Engines  were  feeble  and  of  imperfect 
construction.  Axles  were  so  badly  made  that 
"  hot-boxes "  were  of  frequent  occurrence, 
causing  much  delay.  As  each  railroad  was 
operated  separately  and  with  very  little  refer- 
ence to  others,  one  or  more  missed  connections 
were  to  be  expected  in  the  case  of  every  jour- 
ney like  that  from  New  York  to  Richmond, 
involving  as  it  did  eight  or  nine  changes  of 
cars  or  boats. 

Knowing  these  conditions  far  better  than 
Valorie  did,  Phil  was  less  confident  than  she 
of  Greg's  arrival  on  the  appointed  evening. 
Still  he  hoped.  He  sent  a  servant  with  a  horse 
to  meet  the  six  o'clock  train,  directing  him,  if 
Greg  should  not  arrive  at  the  expected  time,  to 
wait  until  he  did  come. 

The  day  of  waiting  was  a  tedious  one  to 
Phil.  Valorie  ministered  to  Colonel  Shen- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN'  OF  VIRGINIA    291 

stone's  needs,  and  was  almost  all  the  time  in 
his  chamber,  so  that  the  young  man  had  not  the 
relief  of  her  company.  During  the  morning 
there  came  a  special  messenger  from  Mrs. 
Albemarle,  bearing  a  note  of  inquiry  to  Va- 
lorie,  who,  in  her  preoccupation  with  nursing, 
asked  Phil  to  answer  it  in  her  stead.  By  way 
of  killing  time  he  wrote  at  almost  inexcusable 
length.  After  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  but 
walk  restlessly  about  like  a  perturbed  spirit 
until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  Edna  Spotts- 
wood  arrived  to  make  inquiries  concerning  the 
invalid.  After  a  brief  interview  Valorie, 
pleading  the  necessity  of  her  return  to  the  sick 
room,  turned  the  visitor  over  to  Phil,  as  she 
had  done  with  the  note. 

This  was  a  welcome  circumstance,  for  Phil 
Shenstone  had  conceived  a  very  pronounced 
liking  for  Edna  Spottswood. 

As  he  had  not  seen  her  for  many  months 
past,  there  was  much  for  the  two  to  talk  about 
and  they  made  the  most  of  it.  But  in  the 
course  of  their  conversation  the  young  woman 
told  him  some  things  that  not  only  distressed 
him,  but  filled  him  with  self-reproach. 


292  TWO  GENTLEMEN,  OF  VIRGINIA 

The  Mattapony  plantation  was  one  of  those 
over  which  Colonel  Shenstone  had  a  certain 
supervision  as  counsel,  but  still  more  as  a 
friend  of  the  family.  It  was  a  fine  estate,  now 
fallen  into  difficulties.  Its  late  owner,  Edna 
Spottswood's  father,  had  managed  the  cultiva- 
tion of  its  fields  fairly  well,  but,  after  the 
manner  of  his  predecessors,  he  had  maintained 
a  scale  of  living  which  its  revenues  could  ill 
support.  Generous,  open  handed,  hospitable, 
and  imbued  with  an  unconquerable  optimism, 
he  had  year  by  year  added  to  the  large  hered- 
itary debt,  until  at  his  death  Colonel  Shenstone 
found  the  plantation  too  heavily  encumbered  to 
be  easily  relieved.  Added  to  this  was  the  fact 
that  with  only  two  women  to  manage  it,  the 
place  yielded  less  than  before,  so  that  its  diffi- 
culties increased. 

When  Colenel  Shenstone,  during  the  preced- 
ing autumn,  had  sought  to  equip  Phil  with  the 
information  necessary  to  enable  him  to  act  as 
the  old  gentleman's  substitute  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  estates  in  his  charge,  his  chief  pur- 
pose had  been  to  bring  the  young  man's  busi- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    293 

ness  sagacity  to  bear  upon  the  Mattapony  prob- 
lem. 

When  Edna  explained  to  him  how  matters 
with  her  mother  and  herself  had  gone  from 
bad  to  worse  during  his  absence,  he  reproached 
himself  for  having  remained  away  so  long. 
But  neither  idle  self-reproach  nor  idle  wishing 
was  habitual  with  Phil  Shenstone.  It  was  his 
habit  to  make  himself  master  of  the  terms  of 
every  problem  presented  to  him,  and  to  bring 
all  his  energy  and  all  his  sagacity  to  bear  upon 
its  solution. 

"  I  will  to-day  go  carefully  over  all  the  pa- 
pers in  my  uncle's  possession,"  he  said  to  the 
sorely  distressed  girl,  "  and  to-morrow,  if 
Greg  gets  here  to-night,  I'll  ride  over  to  Mat- 
tapony and  go  through  all  the  papers  there. 
Please  have  them  ready  for  me.  I'll  try  to 
find  a  way  out, —  or  make  one."  He  added 
the  last  phrase  with  a  note  of  determination 
which  increased  the  girl's  admiration  for  him 
very  dangerously  to  herself. 

For  admiration,  in  a  woman,  for  the  per- 
son, the  manners  and  the  character  of  a  young 


294    TWO  GENTLEMEN/  OF  VIRGINIA 

man,  if  the  young  man  is  not  in  love  with  her, 
is  the  most  dangerous  possible  attitude  of 
mind,  just  as  compassionate  pity  for  a  young 
woman  in  distress,  is  dangerous  to  the  peace 
of  mind  of  the  man  cherishing  it. 

In  this  case  both  these  dangers  were  pres- 
ent, and  the  worst  of  it  was  that  circumstances 
now  promised  to  compel  a  very  close  and  fre- 
quent intercourse  between  the  two  persons  con- 
cerned. Edna  was  an  altogether  charming 
young  woman  with  whom  any  right-minded 
young  man  might  easily  fall  in  love,  as  many 
young  men  had  already  done  to  their  sorrow 
and  disappointment.  Besides  she  had  the  low, 
distinct,  contralto  voice  which  was  one  of  the 
chief  fascinations  of  Virginia  women. 

On  the  other  hand,  Phil  Shenstone  had  high 
character,  chivalric  manners,  a  brilliant  mind, 
a  pleasingly  wide  acquaintance  with  men  and 
affairs,  a  shapely  person  and  an  unusually 
handsome  head.  Besides,  he  was  altogether 
the  best  dressed  man,  in  an  unpretentious  way, 
who  had  ever  been  seen  in  that  part  of  Vir- 
ginia. That  is  something  that  always  counts 
for  much  in  the  eyes  of  women. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    295 

These  were  the  conditions  of  the  problem 
presented  by  the  coming  intimate  and  sympa- 
thetic association  of  this  young  man  and  this 
young  woman.  Who  could  say  what  answer 
to  it  they  were  likely  to  work  out  together  ? 

Almost  any  observant  Virginia  dame  would 
have  made  a  confident  conjecture.  But  human 
life  and  human  character  are  complex,  and 
even  the  wisest  of  dames  sometimes  find  them- 
selves at  fault  in  prediction. 


XXX 

IT    was    not   quite   midnight    when    Greg 
Tazewell,  six  hours  late,  rode  up  to  the 
Woodlands  door  at  a  swinging  gallop. 
Phil  and  Valorie  were  waiting  for  him.     Phil 
welcomed  his  coming  with  cordiality;  Valorie 
with  an  enthusiastic  delight  which  she  made 
no  effort  to  conceal,  and  which  Phil  observed 
with  feelings  that  he  did  not  care  to  analyze. 

The  young  doctor  threw  aside  his  hat,  over- 
coat and  gloves,  and  began  at  once  to  question 
the  other  two  as  to  the  patient's  condition. 
Having  satisfied  himself  that  there  was  no  im- 
mediate occasion  for  interference  on  his  part, 
and  learning  that  Colonel  Shenstone  was  sleep- 
ing, though  uneasily,  he  seemed  to  dismiss  all 
concern  from  his  mind,  in  behalf  of  his  own 
needs. 

"  Can  I  have  a  bite  to  eat?  "  he  asked,  turn- 
ing to  Valorie ;  "  I've  had  no  supper,  and  no 
296 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    297 

dinner  worth  mentioning  either,  for  that  mat- 
ter." 

A  fleeting  shadow  of  annoyance  passed  over 
Valorie's  face  as  she  answered  coldly: 

"  I  supposed  you'd  be  hungry,  and  I've  al- 
ready ordered  some  supper  for  you.  But 
won't  you  go  in  and  see  Uncle  Butler  first  ?  " 

"  Not  to-night.  It  isn't  necessary,  and  it 
is  better  not  to  wake  him.  After  I've  ap- 
peased the  pangs  of  hunger  by  some  slices  of 
cold  ham,  I'll  prepare  a  quieting  draught  which 
you  may  give  him  if  you  find  him  very  restless 
and  wakeful  at  any  time.  I'll  see  him  in  the 
morning." 

This  time  Phil  Shenstone  happened  to  be 
looking  at  Valorie  and  saw  another  and  more 
pronounced  look  of  annoyance  appear  for  a 
brief  moment  in  her  countenance,  as  she  men- 
tally ejaculated : 

"  How  brutally  cold-blooded  you  are !  " 

But  as  the  words  were  not  spoken  Phil  could 
in  no  wise  interpret  the  look  and  he  thought 
it  on  the  whole  unnecessary  to  do  so. 

When  Tazewell's  supper  appeared  and  he 
sat  down  in  the  dining  room  to  enjoy  it,  the 


298   TWO  GENTLEMEN!  OF  VIRGINIA 

very  relish  witH  which  the  hungry  man  ate 
annoyed  the  girl,  and  when,  instead  of  making 
the  invalid  the  subject  of  conversation,  he  in- 
dulged his  laughing  propensity  by  giving  a 
humorous  account  of  his  journey,  she  rose 
with  dignity  and  said : 

"  If  you  will  excuse  me,  I'll  go  to  my  pa- 
tient. You  may  leave  the  soothing  draught 
with  Sylvia,  if  you  please,  after  you  have  fin- 
ished your  supper  and  before  you  go  to  bed. 
Mr.  Phil,  you'll  show  Dr.  Tazewell  to  his  room, 
will  you  not?  /  have  duties  in  the  sick 
room." 

This  time  there  was  no  doubt  that  Valorie 
was  angry,  or  deeply  offended,  or  at  the  very 
least  "  vexed,"  to  employ  a  favorite  feminine 
term. 

"  Great  Scott,  what  have  I  done  ? "  ex- 
claimed Greg,  laying  down  his  fork  and  look- 
ing at  Phil,  in  amazement.  "  She's  in  a  fury 
with  me,  and  I  can't  guess  why.  Can  you?" 

"  No.  Her  mood  is  one  I  have  never  seen 
in  her  before.  Perhaps  you've  not  done  any- 
thing, but  omitted  to  do  something.  She's 
very  tired,  poor  girl,  and  the  strain  of  waiting 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    299 

for  you  has  taxed  her  nerves  sorely.  I  think 
we  shall  find  her  in  a  calmer  temper  in  the 
morning1.  At  any  rate  there's  nothing  to  be 
done  to-night.  Fill  a  pipe." 

Phil  argued  that  this  was  merely  one  of 
those  little  manifestations  of  temper  which 
often  vex  the  intercourse  of  plighted  lovers, 
and  as  such,  a  thing  of  no  consequence.  Per- 
haps Valorie  felt  that  in  his  first  eagerness 
for  news  of  the  patient,  Greg  had  responded 
less  cordially  than  he  ought  to  her  glad  greet- 
ing. "  In  any  case,"  he  thought,  "  it  is  none 
of  my  business,  and  they'll  patch  it  up  the  first 
time  they  are  alone  together." 

As  the  two  friends  smoked,  Tazewell  asked  : 

"  Have  those  people  made  any  move  in  my 
absence?  " 

"  None  that  we  know  of,  though  it  has  been 
a  week  now  since  that  shyster  was  here." 

"  Yes,  I  know.  Perhaps  he  is  gathering 
himself  up  for  a  spring.  We  must  be  pre- 
pared at  all  points.  There  has  been  enough 
mischief  done  already." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why  in  my  opinion  Colonel  Shenstone's 


3oo  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

present  attack  is  due  in  its  severity  at  least  to 
the  anger  that  fellow  aroused.  By  the  way  if 
they  make  any  move  while  the  attack  contin- 
ues, we  must  carefully  keep  the  fact  from  his 
knowledge,  no  matter  how  imperative  it  may 
seem  to  tell  him  of  it.  Please  bear  that  in 
mind,  Phil.  It  is  of  vital  importance." 

"  I'll  take  care  of  that.  But  now,  my  dear 
fellow,  you  ought  to  go  to  bed.  You're  worn 
out  with  your  journey." 

"  Yes,  and  I  must  be  fresh  in  the  morning. 
Will  you  send  some  one  to  pour  cold  water 
over  me  when  you  have  me  waked?  Good- 
night. You  needn't  climb  the  stairs.  I  know 
my  way  to  my  room." 

During  his  steamboating  career,  Phil  Shen- 
stone  had  used  himself  to  sleeping  at  irregular 
hours.  The  time  of  day  or  night  when  he 
slept  or  woke  was  a  matter  of  indifference  to 
him.  Just  now  he  was  not  minded  to  sleep. 
His  spirit  was  perturbed  in  many  ways,  and 
he  had  many  perplexing  things  to  think  of. 
He  greatly  longed  to  go  away  to  the  West 
again  and  plunge  headlong  into  affairs  that 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    301 

would  leave  him  no  time  for  thought  of  other 
than  external  things.  But  his  uncle's  illness 
and  Valerie's  danger  bound  him  to  his  present 
surroundings.  On  his  uncle's  recovery  he 
would  still  have  Valerie's  story  to  relate  for 
the  old  lawyer's  guidance,  and  even  when  that 
should  be  done,  he  must  not  leave  Virginia 
while  Edna  Spottswood's  affairs  were  in  their 
present  tangle. 

Irritated  by  the  restraints  with  which  cir- 
cumstances thus  bound  him,  and  still  more  by 
his  inability  to  cast  off  the  bonds,  it  would  have 
been  torture  to  him  to  go  to  bed.  It  was  still 
late  winter,  according  to  the  calendar,  but  the 
weather  was  softly  warm  and  there  was  a 
late  rising  moon.  He  refilled  his  pipe  and 
strolled  out  into  the  house  grounds  for  the 
sake  of  air  and  exercise.  When  the  pipe 
burned  out  he  replenished  it  from  the  tobacco 
jar  which  he  had  placed  in  the  porch  against 
such  need.  He  had  no  matches,  of  course. 
It  was  not  the  custom  in  those  days  for  gen- 
tlemen to  carry  matches  or  to  light  their  pipes 
otherwise  than  with  a  coal  of  fire.  In  winter 


302  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

the  coals  were  plentiful  in  the  open  fireplaces 
which  were  in  every  room.  In  summer  there 
were  sure  to  be  little  negro  boys  about  who 
could  be  sent  to  the  kitchen  —  a  detached 
building  always  —  for  the  needed  coal. 
Neither  of  these  resources  was  open  to  Phil 
in  the  small  hours  of  the  morning,  but  it  was 
easy  for  him  to  stroll  out  to  the  kitchen  and 
help  himself. 

On  one  of  these  excursions  he  found  Aunt 
Kizzie,  the  cook,  awake  and  sitting  up  on  her 
pallet.  She  was  one  of  many  negroes  who 
could  never  be  persuaded  to  sleep  in  a  bed. 
She  and  other  like-minded  ones,  preferred  to 
doze  before  a  partially  dying  fire,  sitting  in  a 
chair  or  stretched  upon  a  quilt  on  the  earthen 
floor,  and  waking  now  and  then  to  smoke  a 
pipe  or  to  go  out  and  look  at  the  stars  to  see 
what  time  it  was.  Their  skill  in  telling  time 
in  that  way  was  so  considerable  that  their  opin- 
ions were  more  trustworthy  than  those  of 
many  of  the  clocks  of  that  period. 

Aunt  Kizzie  was  a  privileged  character,  es- 
pecially in  the  case  of  Phil  Shenstone,  to 
whom  she  often  said : 


TWO  GENTLEMEN*  OF  VIRGINIA    303 

"  Why  chile,  I  raised  yo'  father." 

On  this  occasion  she  assailed  Phil  with  a 
question : 

"  What's  yo'  a  doin',  Mas'  Phil,  prowlin' 
roun'  dis  heah  time  o'  night?  Why  ain't  yo' 
in  yo'  baid  ?  " 

"  Well,  why  aren't  you  in  yours,  Aunt 
Kizzie?" 

"  Now  look  heah,  chile,  doan  you  go  to  be 
axin'  me  no  questions.  I  asked  yo'  what  yo'  is 
a-doin'  prowlin'  roun'  dis  time  o'  night." 

"  I  am  smoking,  Aunt  Kizzie." 

"  Ain't  I  got  no  eyes  ?  "  she  asked  scorn- 
fully. "What  for  yo'  answer  me  like  dat? 
Is  yo'  a  thinkin'  o'  little  Miss  Valorie?  " 

"  I'm  thinking  of  a  good  many  things,  Aunt 
Kizzie." 

"  Is  Miss  Valorie  dun  give  yo'  de  sack  ?  " 

"  No,  Aunt  Kizzie." 

"  Den  why  doan'  you  go  to  baid  like  a 
Christian?  " 

"  Why  don't  you,  Aunt  Kizzie?  " 

"  Mas'  Phil,  yo's  de  perplexin'est  an'  mos' 
tormentin'est  chile  7  eber  raised.  Git  out  o' 
heah,  now,  an'  let  me  git  a  nap;  ef  yo'  don't 


304   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

I'll  throw  de  skillet  lids  at  yo'  an'  de  skillets 
too.  Do  yo'  heah  ?  " 

Thus  admonished  and  with  a  genuine  regard 
for  Aunt  Kizzie's  nap,  Phil  retired  to  the 
porch,  just  as  the  darkness  gave  place  to  the 
dawn.  His  legs  were  a  trifle  weary  with  the 
night-long  strolling,  so  buttoning  his  coat 
against  the  chill  of  the  early  morning,  he  sat 
down  in  one  of  the  heavy  oaken  chairs  with 
which  the  porch  was  furnished.  Not  long  af- 
terwards, between  the  daylight  and  the  sun- 
rise, Valorie  appeared. 

"  I  have  slept  very  little  and  very  badly," 
she  said  by  way  of  explanation.  "  I  feel  the 
need  of  the  open  air.  How  good  it  smells. 
But  what  are  you  doing  out  here  at  this  hour, 
Mr.  Phil?" 

"  That's  what  Aunt  Kizzie  asked  me  when  I 
went  to  the  kitchen  to  light  my  pipe  a  while 
ago,"  he  replied. 

"  Didn't  you  sleep  well  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  slept  at  all,  Val.  I  haven't  been 
in  bed." 

"  Are  you  ill  ?  "  she  asked  with  a  note  of 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    305 

sincere  anxiety  which  was  distinctly  pleasing  to 
Phil. 

"  Not  at  all.  I  was  never  better  in  my  life. 
But  I'm  very  irregular  in  my  sleeping  habits, 
and  when  Greg  went  to  bed  I  didn't  feel  like 
sleeping,  so  I  came  out  to  enjoy  the  fine  night. 
How  did  Uncle  Butler  sleep?" 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said,  gratified  to  discover 
that  Phil  was  not  indifferent,  as  she  believed 
Greg  Tazewell  to  be.  "  Thank  you,  fairly 
well,  since  I  gave  him  the  soothing  draught  at 
four  minutes  after  two." 

Valorie  had  an  unusual  habit  of  exactitude 
in  all  her  statements.  If  asked  the  time  she 
would  give  it  not  in  round  figures  —  as  most 
persons  did  at  that  time  when  neither  clocks 
nor  watches  could  be  depended  upon  for  accu- 
racy —  but  exactly  according  to  the  clock. 
When  laughed  at  for  this  she  would  reply : 

"  It  is  just  as  easy  to  say  '  sixteen  minutes 
after  '  or  '  seventeen  minutes  before  '  as  to  say 
fifteen  in  either  case.  I  like  to  tell  the  truth, 
that's  all." 

"  He's    sleeping    very    quietly    now,"    she 


306   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

added,  "  and  I  hope  Dr.  Tazewell  will  find  him 
in  fair  condition  —  whenever  he  gets  ready  to 
see  him." 

Phil  observed  the  pause  and  the  vexation  in 
her  tone,  as  she  added  that  last  phrase,  but  he 
found  it  difficult  to  interpret  her  mood.  It 
was  apparent  that  she  was  displeased  with 
Greg,  but  why  or  to  what  extent,  he  could  not 
make  out. 

"  I  sincerely  hope  so,"  he  responded.  "  I'm 
sure  Uncle  Butler  is  not  nearly  so  ill  as  he  was 
during  the  last  attack  —  not  so  ill  by  any  means 
as  I  feared  he  would  be.  But  you'll  get  chilled 
standing  here.  Let's  take  a  little  walk.  There 
are  some  crocuses  or  daffodils  already  bloom- 
ing out  there  by  the  walnut  trees;  I  couldn't 
make  out  which  they  are  in  the  dim  moonlight. 
Let's  go  and  see." 


XXXI 

AS  they  inspected  the  profusely  blooming 
bed  of  new-born  flowers,  Phil  gath- 
ered a  handful  of  them  and  presented 
them  to  his  companion,  saying  gallantly : 

"  They  are  bright  and  golden.     May  your 
life  be  always  like  them,  Val." 

A  moment  passed  before  she  could  trust  her- 
self to  speak.     Then  she  said : 

"  Thank   you,    Mr.    Phil,    for   the   flowers 
and  still  more  for  the  wish.     I'll  put  them  in 
water  and  set  them  where  Uncle  Butler  will 
see  them  when  he  wakes." 
After  a  brief  pause  she  said : 
"  Mr.  Phil,  there  are  some  things  I  want  to 
say  to  you.     I  wanted  to  say  them  when  you 
were  leaving  me  in  town,  but  —  well,  you  had 
to  hurry,  you  know,  to  catch  your  train,  and 
there   has    been    no    opportunity    since    then. 
307 


3o8  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Mr.  Phil,  I  shall  never  leave  Uncle  Butler  so 
long  as  he  lives.  You  have  no  idea  how  he 
depends  upon  me  for  his  happiness.  He  be- 
gan to  get  better,  you  know,  the  moment  I 
got  back  to  Woodlands,  and  every  time  he 
wakes  he  asks  if  I  am  there,  for  he  doesn't  see 
very  well  and  I  keep  the  room  darkened. 
When  I  say :.  '  Yes,  Uncle,  I'm  here,'  he  takes 
my  hand  and  caresses  it  and  says  something  so 
loving  that  it  makes  me  very  happy  and  sets 
me  crying.  He  needs  me  all  the  time.  It 
isn't  because  of  anything  I  do  for  him  —  for 
anybody  else  could  do  all  that  —  but  just  be- 
cause he  loves  me  and  likes  to  have  me  with 
him." 

"  Yes,  I  know  all  that,  Val,  and  I  rejoice  in 
it  far  more  than  I  can  tell  you.  He  is  the  best 
man  in  the  world,  I  think,  and  you  have 
brought  a  new  light  into  his  darkened  life. 
You  can  never  do  a  better  thing,  Val,  or  one 
better  worth  while,  no  matter  how  long  you 
may  live." 

Forgetting  for  the  moment  the  reserve  she 
had  of  late  felt  it  necessary  to  practice  in  her 
intercourse  with  Phil,  Valorie  took  his  hand 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    309 

and  gently  pressed  it  in  lieu  of  spoken  answer 
to  his  words. 

It  was  a  critical  moment  for  Phil  Shen- 
stone.  But  he  remembered  Greg  Tazewell, 
and  he  remembered  his  own  obligation  to  ac- 
quit himself  well  as  a  loyal  gentleman  and 
friend.  So  conquering  his  momentary  im- 
pulse to  declare  his  love,  just  as  she,  remem- 
bering herself,  withdrew  her  hand  from  his,  he 
said: 

"  Go  on,  Val.  You  had  something  more  to 
say  to  me." 

"  Yes,"  she  answered.  "  Have  those  people 
done  anything  more  ?  " 

"  Not  yet.  I  suppose  they  are  preparing 
some  sort  of  surprise  for  us." 

"  They  might  as  well  spare  themselves  the 
trouble." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  Val  ?  " 

"  Why  I  mean  that  no  matter  what  they  do, 
and  no  matter  what  any  court  may  order,  I 
will  never  go  to  them,  never,  never,  never!  I 
know  what  they  want  —  or  at  least  a  part  of 
it.  I  heard  about  it  in  the  convent.  They 
want  to  put  me  on  the  stage  to  earn  money  for 


310  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

them.  They  mean  then  to  sell  me  to  some 
rich  man  as  his  wife.  Now  let  me  tell  you 
that  even  if  they  should  seize  me  by  force,  they 
would  get  no  good  out  of  it.  I  would  never 
play  a  note  or  dance  a  step  for  them.  They 
might  beat  me,  but  it  would  make  no  differ- 
ence. They  might  put  me  in  jail,  and  it  would 
make  no  difference.  They  might  torture  me 
as  some  of  the  saints  were  tortured,  but  it 
would  make  no  difference.  I  may  belong  to 
them  —  though  I  don't  know  why  or  how  — 
but  my  fingers  and  toes  are  my  own,  and  it 
is  my  fingers  and  toes  they  want.  So  what  is 
the  use?" 

The  girl  did  not  speak  excitedly.  Her  voice 
was  calm  and  level.  There  was  no  catching  of 
the  breath,  no  smallest  hurry  in  her  enuncia- 
tion, no  suggestion  of  hysteria  in  her  manner, 
but  there  was  a  resolute  determination  there 
which  must  have  been  discouraging  to  her  ad- 
versaries had  they  heard  her  words.  She 
went  on : 

"  And  I  will  not  run  away  like  a  coward, 
either.  I  will  not  go  North  or  to  Europe  to 
escape  them.  I  shall  stay  right  here  at  Wood- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    311 

lands  to  make  Uncle  Butler  happy  until  they 
attempt  to  seize  me.  Mr.  Phil,  I  want  you 
please  to  buy  me  a  good  Colt's  revolver  —  for 
self-defense." 

"  You  have  no  need  of  that,"  he  answered. 
"Listen,  Val!" 

He  took  her  hand  and  held  it  while  he 
spoke. 

"  Those  people  will  not  resort  to  any  form 
of  violence.  They  know  better.  And  if  they 
did  —  am  I  not  here,  and  isn't  Greg  at  hand  ? 
We  should  meet  violence  with  violence.  But 
I  assure  you  they  are  not  thinking  of  anything 
so  desperate  as  that." 

"  Then  why  do  you  keep  your  negro  sen- 
tinels on  guard,  Mr.  Phil?  " 

"  I  ought  to  have  told  you  about  that,  but  I 
didn't  think  of  your  misinterpreting  it.  They 
are  there  simply  to  prevent  anybody  from  serv- 
ing papers  on  Uncle  Butler  by  leaving  them  at 
his  house  while  he  is  ill.  When  he  gets  well 
again  the  sentries  will  Be  withdrawn.  I  sup- 
posed you  understood  that." 

"  No.  I  thought  you  feared  somebody 
would  seize  me  by  force." 


312   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Nobody  would  think  of  such  a  thing,  Val. 
It  would  mean  a  long  term  in  State  prison,  to 
say  nothing-  of  the  chance  of  being  shot  in  the 
attempt  —  a  chance  which  I  should  do  my  best 
to  convert  into  a  certainty.  No,  there  is  no 
danger  of  that  kind,  and  I  don't  think  there  is 
much  danger  of  any  kind.  I'm  not  a  lawyer, 
of  course,  but  I  think  I  can  say  very  confi- 
dently that  when  those  people  serve  papers  as 
I  suppose  they  will  do,  we  can  beat  them  in 
the  courts,  particularly  after  I  get  a  chance  to 
give  Uncle  Butler  all  the  facts." 

"  Thank  you  for  telling  me,  Mr.  Phil,"  she 
replied.  Then  after  a  pause, 

"  What  if  we  couldn't  beat  them  in  the 
courts?  What  if  it  should  be  decided  that  I 
belong  to  those  people?  Would  the  court 
compel  me  to  go  with  them?  I've  told  you 
they  should  never  get  any  good  out  of  me,  but 
should  I  be  compelled  to  go  with  them  ?  " 

"  Not  for  long,"  he  answered  resolutely. 

"  How  — '  not  for  long  ?  '  " 

"  Why  I'd  kidnap  you  again.  You  know  I 
kidnapped  you  before,  so  I'm  a  hardened 
criminal  in  that  way.  I'd  do  it  again  with- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    313 

in   twenty- four    hours   after   they   got    you." 

"  Yes,  I  believe  you  would.  Thank  you. 
I'm  happier  now,"  she  said.  "  My  mind 
is  relieved." 

"  You  have  no  doubt  that  I  would  do  what 
I  have  said  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Doubt  ?  No.  You  are  brave  and  strong, 
and  good;  I  could  never  doubt  you  in 
any  way.  But  I  must  go  to  Uncle  Butler  now. 
He'll  be  awake  very  soon  if  he  isn't  so  already. 
—  Mr.  Phil?" 

"What  is  it,  Val?" 

"  Do  you  suppose  Dr.  Tazewell  would  mind 
very  much  if  you  had  him  waked  this  early  in 
the  morning?  I  still  believe  in  his  skill  and 
judgment,  and  I  want  him  to  see  Uncle  Butler 
just  as  soon  as  he  can  be  persuaded  to  do 
so." 

Her  way  of  putting  the  matter  seemed  to 
Phil  a  strange  one,  but  he  made  no  effort  to 
guess  its  meaning.  In  her  present  mood  to- 
ward Greg  Tazewell  she  was  beyond  his  fath- 
oming. Instead  of  trying  to  interpret  the 
speech,  therefore,  he  answered  it : 

"  I  am  sure  he  is  as  anxious  to  see  his  pa- 


3i4  TWO  GENTLEMEN!  OF  VIRGINIA 

tient  as  we  are  to  have  him  do  so.  I'll  have 
him  waked  at  once,  and  I'll  have  a  servant 
pour  half  a  dozen  buckets  of  cold  water  over 
him." 

"What  for?" 

"  To  freshen  him  up.  He  asked  me  last 
night  to  do  so.  You  may  depend  he'll  have  all 
his  wits  about  him  after  that  I  think  I'll  try 
the  same  treatment  myself,  after  Greg  sees 
Uncle  Butler.  It'll  give  me  an  appetite  for 
breakfast." 

As  she  glided  into  the  house  she  paused 
upon  the  doorsill  and  turning  to  him,  said : 

"  Thank  you  again  for  all,  Mr.  Phil.  I 
think  you  are  better  than  anybody." 

"  Is  it  quite  loyal  of  you  to  say  that,  Val  — 
giving  me  first  place  in  your  esteem?  " 

"  Oh,  I  except  Uncle  Butler,  of  course,"  she 
answered  over  her  shoulder  as  she  retreated. 

Again  Phil  was  puzzled. 

"  I  wonder  how  far  she  will  carry  her 
pique.  I'm  afraid  there  is  trouble  ahead  for 
Greg." 


XXXII 

DR.  TAZEWELL  found  Colonel  Shen- 
stone  in  much  better  condition  than 
he  had  feared,  and  at  the  end  of  his 
examination  he  reported  that  recovery  was  al- 
ready well  begun. 

"  You  had  better  keep  your  bed  for  a  day  or 
two  more,"  he  said  to  his  patient.  "  It  isn't 
well  to  sit  up  too  soon,  but  with  the  treatment 
I'm  going  to  give  you,  I  hope  to  see  you 
'  clothed  and  in  your  right  mind  '  not  many 
days  hence.  I  must  warn  you,  however,  to 
keep  yourself  in  your  right  mind  if  you  don't 
want  to  come  down  again.  You  musn't  fly 
into  a  passion  again,  as  you  did  with  that 
lawyer.  That  is  what  bowled  you  over  this 
time." 

Instantly  Valorie  responded : 

"  Dr.  Tazewell,  you've  no  right  to  scold 
Uncle  Butler  and  I  beg  that  you  will  not  do 
315 


316   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

it  again.  He  has  a  right  to  grow  angry  when 
he  is  insulted  as  he  was  by  that  man." 

"  I  sincerely  beg  pardon,  Miss  Page.  I 
didn't  mean  to  '  scold  '  Colonel  Shenstone.  I 
only  meant  to  warn  him." 

"Come  here,  Little  Minx,"  said  the  old 
gentleman.  "  You  mustn't  scold  the  doctor, 
or  you'll  make  us  think  you  are  a  little  minx 
in  the  dictionary  sense.  He  is  perfectly  right, 
and  I  shall  not  allow  myself  to  fly  into  a  pas- 
sion again,  now  that  I  have  you  here  to  do  all 
that  for  me.  But  now  you  must  go  to  your 
room  and  go  regularly  to  bed  for  a  good,  long 
sleep.  You're  tired  out,  and  I  won't  have  it 
so.  You  are  to  do  as  I  tell  you,  or  I'll  fly  into 
another  passion  and  give  the  doctor  a  new 
grip  on  me.  Go  to  bed  at  once,  and  don't  get 
up  for  six  hours  at  the  least." 

"  I'll  go,  Uncle,  as  soon  as  the  gentlemen 
have  had  their  breakfast." 

"  Confound  the  gentlemen  and  their  break- 
fast! Let  them  look  out  for  themselves  with 
the  help  of  the  servants,  as  I  had  to  do  for 
more  years  than  you  have  lived  —  when  I 


TWO  GENTLEMEN;  OF  VIRGINIA    317 

hadn't  my  Little  Minx  to  coddle  and   spoil 
me." 

"  But  who'll  make  the  coffee,  Uncle?  " 
"  I  will,"  said  Phil.     "  I'm  an  expert." 
"  Why,  how  did  you  learn  to  do  that  ?  " 
"  By  watching  a  young  lady  do  it  —  a  young 
lady  whom  I  call  Val.     I  confess  I  wasn't 
specially   concerned   with   the   details   of   the 
process,  but  the  accessories  interested  me." 
"  The  accessories  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 
"  Why  the  grace  of  the  young  lady,  the 
plumpness  of  her  elbows  and  all  that,  and  be- 
sides — " 

Valorie  interrupted  him,  not  caring  to  hear 
more. 

"  I'll  go  to  bed  at  once,  Uncle  Butler.  I 
can  sleep  sweetly  now  that  the  doctor  pro- 
nounces you  so  much  better.  I  should  have 
slept  last  night  if  he  could  have  reassured  me 
in  that  way  before  he  went  to  bed.  Doctor,  I 
beg  your  pardon  if  I  spoke  crossly  a  little 
while  ago.  Perhaps  I'm  nervous,  though  that 
isn't  ever  a  good  excuse.  Good  morning,  Uncle. 
Adieu,  gentlemen.  I've  given  special  orders 


318    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

to  the  cook  to  have  your  breakfast  served 
early.  I  don't  suppose  she'll  do  anything  of 
the  kind,  but  I've  given  the  orders  any  how." 

She  was  half  way  through  the  doorway  as 
she  spoke  the  last  words,  and  a  few  seconds 
later  she  was  safe  above  stairs.  Manifestly 
she  had  no  mind  to  listen  to  any  response  Dr. 
Tazewell  might  feel  moved  to  make  to  her 
hurried  apology,  or  to  the  vicious  little  stab 
she  had  given  him  in  her  last  speech. 

"  That's  a  flag  of  truce,  at  any  rate," 
thought  Phil.  "  They'll  make  it  up  next  time 
they  meet." 

But  apparently  Dr.  Tazewell  was  beset  by 
no  great  eagerness  to  have  the  meeting  an 
early  one  for  while  he  and  Phil  were  at  break- 
fast, he  announced  his  purpose  to  ride  over  to 
his  own  plantation  as  soon  as  the  meal  should 
be  over. 

"  I  suppose  my  presence  there  is  badly 
needed  just  now,"  he  said  in  explanation. 
"  I've  been  absent  for  more  than  a  week  now 
—  yes,  for  nearly  a  fortnight, —  and  there's  no 
knowing  in  what  condition  things  are  by  this 
time.  Colonel  Shenstone  needs  nothing  now 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    319 

but  good  nursing  and  the  medicines  I've  left 
for  him.  There  is  no  need  for  me  to  see  him 
again  for  a  day  or  two,  unless  some  unfavor- 
able symptom  should  show  itself  and  I  do  not 
expect  that.  If  it  should  happen,  send  for  me 
at  once,  Phil.  Otherwise  I'll  devote  a  day  or 
two  to  my  own  neglected  affairs." 

Beyond  promising  to  do  as  requested,  Phil 
said  nothing.  But  mentally  he  reflected : 

"  So  you  think  it  is  your  turn  to  sulk  do 
you?  I  don't  envy  you  the  penance  you'll 
have  to  do  for  that.  But  it  isn't  my  affair." 


XXXIII 

DURING  the  three  days  in  which  Greg 
Tazewell  did  not  think  it  necessary  to 
visit  his  patient   Colonel    Shenstone 
rapidly  improved,  but  Valerie's  temper,  so  far 
as  the  doctor  was  concerned  underwent  no 
such  change  for  the  better. 

The  displeasure  she  had  felt  and  manifested 
was  due  solely,  as  we  know,  to  what  she  in- 
terpreted as  indifference  on  his  part  to  Colonel 
Shenstone's  case,  and  his  failure  to  visit  the 
patient  each  day  seemed  to  her  to  confirm  and 
emphasize  that  indifference.  She  knew  noth- 
ing of  Greg  Tazewell's  real  motive  in  remain- 
ing away  from  Woodlands  as  long  as  his  duty 
to  his  patient  would  allow.  How  should  she 
know  that  his  absence  was  prompted  by  chiv- 
alric  regard  for  herself  and  an  excessive  loy- 
alty to  his  friend  Phil  Shenstone?  How 
should  she  know  that  Greg  Tazewell  had  not 
320 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    321 

yet  conquered  his  love  for  her?  Her  rejec- 
tion of  his  suit  had  been  kindly,  considerate 
and  very  gentle,  but  it  had  been  so  firm  and 
so  positive  as  to  leave  him  no  ground  of  hope 
in  that  direction.  Was  he  not  a  strong,  reso- 
lute man  ?  Was  it  not  clearly  his  duty  as  well 
as  his  interest  to  put  aside  all  thought  of  win- 
ning her  and  to  conquer  a  passion  so  mani- 
festly hopeless  ?  Firmly  believing  that  he  had 
done  so,  she  could  have  no  inkling  of  the 
motives  of  his  present  conduct.  She  could 
only  attribute  his  voluntary  absence  from  Col- 
onel Shenstone's  bedside  to  that  indifference 
which  she  mistakenly  believed  he  had  shown 
in  his  omission  to  examine  his  patient  on  the 
night  of  his  arrival,  and  still  more  in  the  light- 
ness of  his  conversation  at  the  supper  table 
that  night. 

It  was  with  a  dignity  that  left  little  room 
for  friendly  cordiality,  therefore,  that  she  re- 
ceived him  when  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth 
day  he  rode  over  to  Woodlands.  So  marked 
was  her  coldness  indeed  that  Phil  Shenstone, 
in  loyalty  to  his  supposed  obligations,  was  at 
pains  to  take  himself  out  of  the  way. 


322    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  I  must  give  them  a  chance  to  make  it  up," 
he  reflected,  and  with  that  intent,  as  soon  as 
Greg  had  passed  favorably  upon  his  uncle's 
condition,  he  said  to  him : 

"  Greg,  I  have  some  important  matters  to 
attend  to  over  at  Mattapony.  Indeed  I've 
been  needed  there  for  several  days.  Of  course 
you'll  remain  for  dinner  at  Woodlands,  and 
so,  if  you  don't  mind  being  left,  I'll  ride  over 
there  for  an  hour  or  two." 

Without  waiting  for  Greg  to  offer  the  ex- 
cuses that  were  near  his  lips,  he  sprang  into 
the  saddle  and  rode  rapidly  away. 

Greg's  first  feeling  was  one  of  annoyance, 
but  upon  reflection  he  was  rather  glad  to  have 
this  opportunity  to  "  have  it  out  "  with  Valo- 
rie.  He  was  anxious  to  learn  precisely  what 
his  offense  in  her  eyes  had  been,  and  to  atone 
for  it  if  possible.  For  a  brief  moment  the 
thought  flitted  through  his  mind  that  perhaps 
after  all  Valorie  was  not  so  far  different  from 
other  young  women  as  he  had  supposed ;  that 
perhaps  she  had  expected  the  compliment  of  a 
second  proposal.  But  he  promptly  dismissed 
the  suggestion  not  only  as  unworthy  but  as 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    323 

absurdly  unlikely,  in  view  of  the  very  posi- 
tive way  in  which  she  had  entreated  him  not 
to  return  to  that  subject  again.  Moreover, 
nothing  could  be  clearer,  he  thought,  than  that 
she  had  given  her  heart  to  Phil  Shenstone  and 
that  he  was  in  honor  bound  to  recognize  and 
respect  an  engagement  of  which  he  felt  sure, 
although  it  had  not  been  announced  or  even 
hinted  at  in  any  way. 

After  Phil  had  gone  Valorie  joined  Greg  in 
the  parlor,  by  way  of  doing  her  duty  as  host- 
ess, and  still  more  for  the  purpose  of  receiv- 
ing his  instructions  as  nurse. 

These  were  brief  and  simple,  relating  chiefly 
to  diet,  and  when  he  had  finished  giving  them, 
Greg  turned  to  her  with  an  anxious  face,  say- 
ing: 

"  You  are  angry  with  me,  Miss  Valorie. 
Would  you  mind  telling  me  why  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  angry  with  you ;  at  least  I  don't 
think  I  am.  I  have  been  displeased,  and  per- 
haps I  have  shown  my  displeasure  more  than 
I  should.  If  so  I  beg  you  to  forgive  me,  re- 
membering how  anxious  I  have  been  about 
Uncle  Butler." 


324  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  I  forgive  you  freely,"  he  replied,  "  if  there 
is  anything  to  forgive,  which  I  do  not  admit, 
though  I  must  own  that  you  have  made  me 
suffer  somewhat." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  said,  and  after  the  brief- 
est possible  pause  she  added,  "  for  the  occa- 
sion." 

"  Would  you  mind  telling  me  what  the  oc- 
casion has  been?  What  is  it  I  have  done  to 
displease  you  ?  " 

"  I  supposed  you  understood,"  she  answered 
with  a  touch  of  surprise. 

"  Indeed  I  do  not,  though  I  have  tried  hard 
to  conjecture  what  it  all  meant.  Tell  me, 
please." 

"  I  thought  you  indifferent  to  Uncle  But- 
ler's suffering,"  she  answered  frankly,  adding : 
"  and  candidly  I  think  so  still." 

"  How  can  you  have  thought  such  a  thing 
as  that?  And  how  can  you  think  it  now? 
Certainly  nothing  could  be  further  from  the 
fact.  There  is  no  man  living  whom  I  reckon 
so  dear  a  friend  as  Colonel  Shenstone,  no  man 
for  whom  I  would  do  more  or  sacrifice  more. 
Believe  me  I  speak  the  truth." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    325 

"  I  believe  that  of  course,  because  you  say 
it.  You  are  a  gentleman  and  of  course  you 
speak  only  the  truth.  I  must  have  miscon- 
strued your  conduct." 

"  Very  certainly  you  have.  I  cannot  even 
imagine  what  conduct  of  mine  you  could  have 
construed  to  mean  or  to  suggest  indifference 
on  my  part  to  Colonel  Shenstone's  welfare  or 
comfort.  Tell  me  please." 

"  I  must,  of  course,  though  after  what  you 
have  said,  it  seems  an  ungracious  thing  to  do." 

"  I'll  overlook  the  seeming  ungraciousness, 
if  you'll  only  tell  me  and  give  me  an  oppor- 
tunity to  explain." 

"  There  have  been  several  things,"  she  said, 
as  if  recalling  the  occurrences,  one  by  one. 
"  You  responded  as  promptly  as  possible  to 
my  summons.  I  give  you  credit  for  that  — 
or  rather  I  should  say  I  have  given  you  credit 
for  that  from  the  first  and  all  the  time." 

"  I  deserve  no  credit  for  that.  The  re- 
sponse was  as  much  to  my  own  eager  desire 
as  to  your  summons.  I  was  far  from  my 
hotel  when  I  received  your  despatch,  and  there 
was  not  time  in  which  to  return  there  if  I  was 


326  TWO  GENTLEMEN.  OF  VIRGINIA 

to  catch  the  next  train.  In  my  anxiety  to 
reach  Colonel  Shenstone's  bedside  as  soon  as 
possible,  I  left  New  York  without  returning  to 
the  hotel  and  without  so  much  as  a  handbag." 

"  Thank  you  for  that.  But  when  you  got 
here,  you  were  in  no  hurry  to  go  to  his  bedside. 
You  waited  to  eat  and  even  to  sleep  first." 

"  And  you  attributed  that  to  indifference  ?  " 

"What  else  could  I  think?" 

"  My  dear  Miss  Valorie,  I  thought  you  un- 
derstood. I  had  closely  questioned  you  and 
Phil  about  his  condition;  I  had  learned  every- 
thing that  could  have  significance;  I  knew 
that  sleep  was  his  only  immediate  need,  and 
you  told  me  he  was  sleeping.  In  my  judg- 
ment as  a  physician  it  was  altogether  best 
for  him  that  he  should  not  be  disturbed,  but 
that  sleep  should  be  encouraged  by  the  draught 
I  left  with  you,  to  be  given  if  he  should  wake 
during  the  night.  It  was  not  indifference  but 
concern  for  his  welfare  that  prompted  me." 

"  Yes,  I  can  see  that  now,"  she  answered, 
"  and  perhaps  I  should  have  seen  it  at  the  time 
but  for  the  other  things." 

"What  were  they?" 


TWO  GENTLEMEN1  OF  VIRGINIA    327 

"  Why  —  it  isn't  easy  to  explain  what  I 
mean  —  but  while  you  were  taking  your  sup- 
per, you  seemed  to  forget  all  about  Uncle  But- 
ler's case;  you  talked  lightly  and  jestingly, 
and  it  hurt  me.  Perhaps  I  was  over  sensi- 
tive at  the  time,  but  I  had  been  so  anxious !  " 

"  You  will  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that 
I  talked  as  I  did  about  other  things  solely  for 
your  sake  ?  " 

"How  so?" 

"  A  physician,  if  he  is  at  all  wise,  carries 
with  him  many  remedies  besides  medicines. 
After  the  strain  of  your  anxiety  for  your 
uncle,  and  your  eagerness  for  me  to  be  here  to 
attend  him,  you  were  in  a  dangerously  over- 
wrought condition  of  nerves.  I  felt  it  neces- 
sary to  reassure  you  concerning  Colonel  Shen- 
stone,  and  it  was  for  that  purpose  that  I  talked 
lightly  of  other  subjects,  avoiding  all  mention 
of  his  illness.  I  thought  my  manner  would  do 
more  to  reassure  you  than  any  words  of  confi- 
dence I  might  speak.  Can  you  not  under- 
stand that  and  believe  it?  " 

"  I  understand  it  now,  and  of  course  I  be- 
lieve whatever  you  tell  me.  But  I  did  not  un- 


328  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

derstand  at  the  time,  and  when  you  left  right 
after  breakfast  next  morning,  and  did  not  re- 
turn for  three  days,  I  was  sure  of  your  indif- 
ference." 

Here  was  the  hardest  point  that  Greg  had 
been  called  upon  to  meet.  In  the  very  nature 
of  the  case  he  could  not  tell  her  all  of  the 
truth,  but  at  least  he  could  truthfully  say: 

"  I  was  entirely  sure  that  Colonel  Shenstone 
needed  nothing  but  to  continue  the  treatment 
and  regimen  I  had  prescribed  for  him.  Un- 
less there  should  be  some  change  for  the  worse 

—  and  I  asked  Phil  to  notify  me  in  that  case 

—  there  was  not  the  slightest  occasion  for  me 
to  see  him  during  the  next  three  days.     He 
was  in  good  hands  and  getting  well,  and  my 
own  affairs  badly  needed  my  attention." 

"  I  have  been  very  unjust  to  you,  Dr.  Taze- 
well,"  said  the  girl,  taking  his  hand,  "  and  I 
sincerely  ask  you  to  forgive  me." 

"  Don't  let  us  talk  of  forgiveness.  It  was 
dull  in  me  not  to  see  how  easily  you  might 
misunderstand,  especially  in  your  over-wrought 
condition.  I  should  have  realized  that.  I 
should  have  taken  pains  to  explain  to  you. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    329 

The  fault  was  all  my  own.  Let  us  be  good 
friends  again !  " 

"  With  all  my  heart.  You  can  imagine  that 
this  conversation  has  been  anything  but  pleas- 
ant to  me,  especially  in  its  beginning.  But 
I'm  glad  to  have  had  it.  It  has  relieved  my 
mind,  and  acquitted  you  of  an  unjust  accusa- 
tion. We  are  the  best  of  good  friends  again, 
and  I'm  going  to  volunteer  a  promise :  If  ever 
again  I  find  myself  disposed  to  accuse  you, 
I'm  going  to  tell  you  so,  frankly.  Then  you 
can  set  me  right  if  I  am  wrong." 

It  was  high  time  now  for  Valorie  to  go  to 
her  household  duties,  and  she  did  so  with  a 
feeling  of  gladness  and  relief  that  was  very 
grateful  to  her  spirit.  As  the  day  was  fine, 
sunny  and  spring-like,  Greg  betook  himself  to 
the  porch,  where  with  a  pipe  he  found  himself 
happier  than  he  had  been  for  weeks  past. 

Once  as  Valorie  crossed  the  hall  he  called 
to  her,  saying : 

"  It  occurs  to  me  that  it  might  be  an  agree- 
able change  for  Colonel  Shenstone  if  he  came 
out  and  sat  with  us  at  dinner  to-day.  Ask 
him,  please.  A  little  cheery  companionship 


330  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

will  do  him  more  good  now  than  anything  else, 
and  as  his  chamber  is  on  this  floor  there  are  no 
stairs  to  tire  him." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  very,  very  much.  I'm 
sure  Uncle  Butler  will  be  greatly  pleased.  He 
told  me  this  morning  how  weary  he  was  of  the 
confinement,  and  I've  been  wishing  he  might 
come  out  for  awhile,  but  I  hardly  dared  ask 
it.  I  wonder  if  my  wishing  made  you  think 
of  it?" 

"  Perhaps  so.  I  don't  know.  At  any  rate 
you  see  how  true  it  is  that  a  doctor  must  carry 
around  with  him  many  remedies  besides  those 
in  his  saddle  bags." 


XXXIV 

WHEN  Phil  Shenstone  returned  just 
before  the  four  o'clock  dinner,  he 
observed  so  great  an  amelioration 
of  relations  between  Greg-  and  Valorie  that 
he  confidently  expected  to  be  informed  of 
their  engagement  before  nightfall.  He  had 
seen  too  much  of  human  conduct  in  the  vari- 
ous relations  of  life  not  to  know  that  when 
even  a  friendship  has  been  subjected  to  strain 
and  then  repaired  it  is  pretty  sure  to  become 
stronger  than  ever.  Especially  he  knew  that 
a  lover's  tiff  reconciled  is  apt  to  intensify 
the  love  that  has  existed  all  the  while. 

He  thought  it  possible  that  until  now  the 
relations  of  these  two  might  have  been  unde- 
fined, but  he  was  confident  that  if  such  had 
been  the  case,  the  reconciliation  which  had  so 
obviously  taken  place  must  have  brought  def- 
inition with  it. 


332   TWO  GENTLEMEN,  OF  VIRGINIA 

His  reasoning  was  sound  enough.  His 
conclusions  were  wrong  only  because  the  rea- 
soning was  based  upon  a  mistaken  assump- 
tion. Seeing  no  reason  to  doubt  the  correct- 
ness of  that  assumption  he  rested  confidently 
in  his  conclusions,  and  when  the  day  and 
evening  had  passed  away  without  bringing  the 
expected  announcement,  he  was  distinctly  be- 
wildered and  even  a  trifle  offended.  It  seemed 
to  him  that  his  friendship  for  both  persons 
concerned  deserved  more  of  confidence  than 
either  of  them  had  shown. 

His  uncle's  presence  at  the  table  was  grati- 
fying, of  course,  as  proof  of  his  rapid  con- 
valescence, and  from  the  smiling  cheerfulness 
with  which  the  old  gentleman  joined  in  the 
conversation,  he  argued  that  the  facts  of  the 
situation  had  been  communicated  to  him,  as 
was  of  course  his  due. 

When  he  congratulated  Colonel  Shenstone 
upon  his  improvement,  the  elder  man  replied: 

"  Beyond  the  necessity  of  obeying  Greg's 
orders  as  to  diet  and  the  like  for  a  few  days 
more,  I'm  going  to  regard  myself  as  a  well 
man  now,  quite  well  enough,  my  dear  boy,  to 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    333 

hear  the  things  you  came  all  the  way  from  the 
West  to  tell  me.  When  will  you  do  it,  Phil  ?  " 

"  Whenever  Dr.  Tazewell  permits,"  an- 
swered Phil,  looking  inquiringly  at  his  friend. 

"  Not  quite  yet,"  replied  the  man  of  science. 
"  Not  for  two  or  three  days  to  come,  Colonel 
Shenstone,  and  not  even  then  if  you  are  im- 
prudent and  bring  on  any  renewal  of  the 
trouble.  We  must  go  a  little  slow  as  yet. 
When  dinner  is  over  I'm  going  to  ask  Miss 
Valorie  to  have  you  put  to  bed  again.  You 
are  naturally  very  weak  still,  and  must  have 
plenty  of  rest.  I'll  ride  over  day  after  to-mor- 
row and  have  a  look  at  you."  Then  turn- 
ing to  Valorie  he  added :  "  It  will  not  be 
necessary  to  see  him  to-morrow,  and  really  I 
have  a  good  many  things  to  do.  You  don't 
think—" 

"  I  think  only  that  you  know  best  in  such  a 
case,  and  I'm  very  sure  you  wish  to  do  what 
is  best." 

Observing  the  looks  that  passed  between  the 
two  —  looks  that  suggested  some  special  un- 
derstanding —  Phil  thought  it  wise  to  change 
the  subject. 


334  TWO  GENTLEMEN;  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  What  is  the  legal  rate  of  interest  in  Vir- 
ginia, Uncle?  Can  you  tell  me  off  hand  and 
without  trouble  ?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly.  Where  no  rate  is  specified, 
it  is  six  per  cent.  By  contract,  a  higher  rate, 
up  to  ten  per  cent,  may  be  fixed." 

"And  all  above  that?  —  " 

"  Is  usury." 

" And  therefore  illegal?" 

"  Worse  than  illegal.  It  works  a  forfeiture 
even  of  the  principal  of  the  debt." 

"  You  mean  that  if  a  man  takes  a  note  or 
bond  carrying  more  than  ten  per  cent,  interest, 
he  cannot  collect  any  interest  at  all  ?  " 

"  More  than  that.  He  cannot  collect  either 
interest  or  principal.  He  forfeits  the  whole 
thing." 

"  Thank  you.  On  a  note  carrying  a  lawful 
rate  of  interest,  does  the  interest  compound 
if  not  paid  annually?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  Why  all  these  questions, 
Phil?" 

"  Oh,  I'm  only  arming  myself  for  possible 
emergencies." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    335 

"  Why,  you  are  not  involved  in  debt,  Phil, 
surely  ?  " 

"  Not  a  red  cent.  I  wish  your  health,  Uncle 
Butler,  was  in  as  sound  a  condition  as  my 
financial  affairs  are.  But  some  other  people 
are  in  trouble,  and  they  are  being  robbed  by 
rascals.  The  game  is  an  interesting  one,  and 
now  that  you've  given  me  the  information,  I 
propose  to  '  sit  in '  as  they  say  at  poker. 
You're  pale,  Uncle,  and  you  look  tired.  Don't 
you  think  you've  sat  up  long  enough?" 

"  I  am  a  trifle  tired,  but  I  want  to  hear  all 
about  this." 

"  Not  now,  Colonel  Shenstone,"  interrupted 
Greg.  "  Phil  is  right,  and  you  must  go  back 
to  your  bed  at  once." 

"  Yes,  uncle,"  said  Valorie,  going  to  him  and 
persuasively  caressing  his  wan  cheeks,  "you 
know  you  are  to  obey  the  doctor  so  that  we 
may  soon  have  you  well  again." 

"  So  you  join  forces  with  my  enemies,  do 
you,  Little  Minx?  Well,  I  can't  resist  your 
imperious  will,  and  I'm  strictly  forbidden  to 
grow  angry,  so  there's  nothing  for  it  but  to 


336   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

retreat  in  good  order.  But  confound  you,  you 
young  jackanapeses,  if  I  were  well  enough 
I'd  prosecute  you  both  for  conspiracy  against 
an  unoffending  old  man." 

And  with  a  look  of  affection  at  them  all,  he 
suffered  his  body  servant  to  lead  him  back  to 
his  chamber.  Both  the  young  men  rose  to 
perform  that  service  in  the  negro  man's  stead, 
but  the  old  gentleman  ordered  them  back  to 
their  places,  playfully  reminding  them  that  it 
is  very  ill-bred  for  a  gentleman  to  quit  the 
table  so  long  as  his  hostess  remains. 

"  Unless  his  tyrannical  doctor  compels  the 
rudeness,"  he  added,  laughing  a  little. 


XXXV 

IT  was  Greg  Tazewell's  purpose  to  return 
to  his  plantation  soon  after  dinner,  but 
Phil  asked  him  to  remain  until  after  sup- 
per, saying  that  he  wished  to  consult  him  con- 
cerning a  business  matter  of  pressing  impor- 
tance. 

When  the  two  were  alone,  Phil  said: 
"  I  want  you  to  give  me  the  address  of  the 
ablest  lawyer  in  Richmond,  if  you  know  who 
he  is,  Greg." 

"  I  will  certainly.     But  what's  the  matter  ?  " 
"  Two  very  different  things  —  one  concern- 
ing myself  and  the  other  concerning  other  peo- 
ple.    I  shall  at  once  retain  the  lawyer  in  both 
matters.     You  see  how  my  uncle  is  failing,  of 
course.     Now  in  both  these  matters  he  will 
want  to  act  for  me,  but  it  won't  do  to  let  him 
engage  in  laborious  and  perhaps  exciting  work, 
and  I  mean  to  forestall  his  insistence  by  having 
337 


338  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

my  lawyer  already  retained.  I  can  explain  it 
by  reminding  him  that  he  was  ill  when  the 
necessity  arose  and  that  I  had  no  choice  but 
to  retain  another  lawyer." 

"  Is  it  your  purpose  to  tell  me  of  the  matters 
involved  ?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly.  That  is  what  I  wanted 
you  to  remain  for.  In  one  way  or  another  I 
may  want  some  assistance  from  you,  and  at 
any  rate  I  shall  want  your  advice  now  and 
then.  The  first  matter  is  that  of  Mrs.  Spotts- 
wood's  affairs.  I've  been  going  over  her  pa- 
pers and  the  confused  jumble  of  memoranda 
which  she  calls  her  *  accounts/  and  I  find  that 
some  rascals  are  swindling  her  shamefully. 
I  mean  to  put  a  stop  to  it.  That  is  why  I 
asked  Uncle  Butler  the  questions  I  did  about 
rates  of  interest  and  the  like.  I  find  that  even 
her  commission  merchant  has  been  compound- 
ing the  ten  per  cent,  interest  on  the  unpaid 
debts  of  the  late  Major  Spottswood.  I'll  have 
a  speedy  reckoning  with  him.  Worse  still,  on 
the  plea  that  he  must  have  payments  made  on 
the  debt  to  him  he  has  persuaded  Mrs.  Spotts- 
wood to  borrow  of  the  money  lenders  for  that 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    339 

purpose,  giving  her  notes  for  the  amounts. 
As  she  didn't  at  all  know  how  to  do  such 
business  he  offered  to  manage  it  for  her,  and 
the  rascal  has  made  her  sign  notes  bearing,  un- 
der a  disguise,  twelve,  and  in  one  case,  as  high 
as  fifteen  per  cent,  interest.  To  secure  these, 
he  induced  her  to  give  a  deed  of  trust  on  her 
plantation  and  if  somebody  hadn't  intervened 
she  would  have  been  sold  out  pretty  soon." 

"  But  why  didn't  Colonel  Shenstone  stop 
that?" 

"  He  knew  nothing  about  it.  Until  a  few 
days  before  his  first  severe  attack  she  did  not 
consult  him  except  as  to  crops  and  the  like. 
Then  she  merely  asked  him  to  look  into  her 
affairs  at  his  convenience,  saying  she  feared 
she  had  managed  them  badly,  and  before  he 
had  time  to  do  so,  he  fell  ill.  After  his  re- 
covery he  mentioned  the  matter  to  me,  evi- 
dently not  regarding  it  as  pressing.  So  no- 
body knew  the  real  condition  of  affairs  till  I 
went  over  there  this  morning.  I  have  a  good 
many  more  details  to  consider  still,  but  I've 
got  at  the  worst,  and  I'm  going  to  put  the 
thing  into  a  lawyer's  hands,  secure  a  binding 


340  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

power  of  attorney,  so  that  no  scruples  of  Mrs. 
Spottswood's  shall  stand  in  the  way,  and  in- 
struct the  lawyer  to  proceed  for  the  forfeiture 
of  every  dollar  of  debt  made  fraudulently  or 
usuriously.  In  such  a  case  the  two  words 
mean  the  same  thing." 

"  But  who  is  the  commission  merchant?  " 

"  Thank  heaven  he  is  not  a  Virginian.  He's 
a  New  Yorker,  a  member  of  a  Produce  Ex- 
change firm  up  there,  and  heaven  only  knows 
what  tricks  he  may  have  played  in  the  sale  of 
Mrs.  Spottswood's  crops.  I  shall  look  into 
that,  and  I  mean  to  drive  the  fellow  out  of 
Richmond." 

"Oh,  of  course." 

"  Now  the  other  matter  concerns  Valerie's 
case,  or  rather  it  concerns  me  in  connection 
with  that  case.  Those  sharp  practitioners 
have  not  been  idle.  I  received  a  letter  from 
them  this  morning.  There  it  is,  read  it 
aloud." 

Greg  took  the  missive,  which  was  very  for- 
mal, with  the  legend  "  in  re  Lee  vs.  Shen- 
stone  "  written  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    341 

of  the  sheet.  After  the  formal  address,  the 
letter  went  on  thus : 

"  You  are  doubtless  aware  that  we  have 
been  retained  as  counsel  for  Mrs.  Eulalie  Lee, 
and  instructed  to  institute  such  proceedings 
in  the  courts  as  may  be  necessary  to  secure 
her  right  to  the  custody  of  her  infant  daughter, 
one  Valorie  Page, —  of  whom,  during  her  mi- 
nority, she  is  the  natural  guardian, —  or  com- 
pensation for  the  loss  of  her  services,  which 
have  a  peculiar  value  because  of  the  child's 
special  gifts  and  training. 

"  It  is  the  uniform  policy  of  our  firm  to  seek 
the  amicable  settlement  of  such  cases  out  of 
court,  and  to  that  end,  as  you  have  doubtless 
been  informed,  we  have  already  approached 
Colonel  Butler  Shenstone,  who,  as  we  are  in- 
formed and  believe,  has  present  custody  of  the 
child  and  is  detaining  her  from  the  control  of 
her  rightful  guardian. 

"  In  any  ordinary  case  our  next  step  would 
of  course  be  to  invoke  the  aid  of  the  proper 
courts  for  the  enforcement  of  our  client's 
rights.  But  there  are  certain  special  circum- 


342   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

stances  in  this  case  which  make  us  reluctant 
to  do  so.  Without  entering  into  details,  it 
is  perhaps  sufficient  for  us  to  say  that  the  ab- 
duction of  a  minor  child  is  a  crime  at  law  both 
in  Louisiana  where  the  system  known  as  the 
civil  law  obtains  and  in  Virginia  where  the 
common  law  prevails.  Of  that  fact  you  may 
or  may  not  be  aware;  but  as  we  understand 
that  you  are  not  a  lawyer,  you  probably  do 
not  know  the  following  facts: 

"i.  That  the  crime  of  abduction  is  an  ex- 
traditable offense  among  the  states  of  this 
Union ; 

"  2.  That  the  offense  is  a  continuous  one, 
running  so  long  as  the  abducted  person  is  held 
in  custody  either  by  the  abductor  or  by  any 
other  person  in  his  behalf  or  at  his  instiga- 
tion ;  and 

"  3.  That  where  an  abducted  child  is  taken 
from  the  state  in  which  the  offense  was  com- 
mitted and  carried  into  another  state  a  charge 
of  abduction  will  lie  in  either  state. 

"  A  prosecution  for  a  criminal  offense  is  so 
serious  a  matter,  especially  where  the  person 
prosecuted  is  a  man  of  high  social  position 


TWO  GENTLEMEN"  OF  VIRGINIA    343 

and  repute,  that  we  shrink  from  instituting 
proceedings  of  that  nature,  and  we  certainly 
do  not  intend  to  do  so,  if  the  rights  of  our 
client  can  be  even  measurably  secured  with- 
out resort  to  measures  so  extreme  and  so  dis- 
agreeable. In  our  effort  to  accomplish  a 
more  peaceful  adjustment,  we  ask  you,  sir,  to 
meet  us  half  way.  If  you  will  appoint  an 
early  day  for  a  meeting  between  yourself  and 
ourselves  in  our  office,  we  are  confident  that 
an  arrangement  can  be  agreed  upon  for  avoid- 
ing those  extremely  disagreeable  measures 
which,  in  the  absence  of  some  such  adjustment, 
our  duty  to  our  client  would  compel  us  to 
take.  Awaiting  your  reply,  etc." 

"  That's  a  threat,"  said  Greg,  handing  the 
letter  back  to  Phil ;  "  a  carefully  disguised 
threat,  but  still  a  threat." 

"  Of  course  it  is.  But  it  is  also  a  '  bluff  ' 
and  as  such  a  confession  of  weakness." 

"  I'm  afraid  I  don't  understand." 

"  Why,  don't  you  see  that  all  their  palaver 
about  reluctance  to  do  disagreeable  things  is 
a  falsehood  on  the  face  of  it  ?  Those  precious 
rascals  are  in  no  wise  troubled  by  scruples  of 


344  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

conscience  or  scruples  of  any  other  kind.  A 
court  proceeding,  if  successful,  would  enable 
them  to  collect  •  much  larger  fees  than  any 
compromise  could.  They  do  not  bring  pro- 
ceedings simply  because  they  do  not  believe 
they  could  win  in  that  way.  I  was  never  so 
confident  as  I  am  now  that  they  haven't  a  leg 
to  stand  on,  and  that  they  know  it  So  they 
are  trying  to  scare  me,  and  I  don't  scare." 

"  Still  they  might  give  you  some  trouble," 

"  I'm  prepared  for  that" 

"What  have  you  replied?" 

"Nothing,  as  yet  ITl  run  into  town  to- 
morrow, retain  my  lawyer,  and  then  write  re- 
ferring these  people  to  my  counsel  for  their 


After  a  brief  silence,  Greg  asked:  "Did 
you  kidnap  the  '  infant'  as  they  call  her? " 

"  I  suppose  I  did.  I  don't  know  just  what 
constitutes  kidnapping  in  the  eyes  of  the  law. 
Anyhow  they'll  find  a  good  deal  of  trouble  to 
prove  it  You  see  I  never  saw  Valorie  until 
she  came  to  me  at  the  Exchange  hotel  in  Rich- 
mond." 

"  How  did  you  manage  it  then? " 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  345 

"I  employed  the  Creole  woman,  Nathalie, 
to  get  her  and  bring  her  to  Richmond.  She 
managed  it  very  cleverly.  Indeed,  I  think 
she'd  manage  a  military  campaign  as  cleverly 
as  General  Scott  himself  ever  did.  Yon  see 
Nathalie  was  the  nurse  when  Valerie  was 
born,  and  had  charge  of  her  until  she  was  six 
or  seven  years  old.  Then  Val  was  taken 
away,  Nathalie  didn't  know  where.  She 
was  in  fact  put  into  the  convent,  and  Na- 
thalie, who  was  devoted  to  the  child,  mourned 
her  almost  as  one  dead.  She  appealed  to 
Norman  Page,  Val's  father,  but  he  knew  as 
little  of  his  daughter's  whereabouts  as  she  did. 
He  devoted  a  year  or  two  to  the  search  with- 
out success.  He  was  tricked  into  the  belief 
that  she  had  been  taken  to  France  or  Italy, 
and  he  went  abroad  to  continue  the  search. 
It  was  not  until  he  had  spent  his  last  dollar 
that  he  gave  it  up,  returned  to  America,  and 
went  to  steamboating  again.  As  soon  as  he 
began  to  make  money  once  more,  he  set  Na- 
thalie up  in  a  little  business  of  her  own,  as  a 
clever  maker  of  'robes  et  confections,'  her 
sign  said  —  gowns  and  feminine  things  gen- 


346   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

erally,  you  know.  Less  than  a  week  before  his 
death,  Nathalie  notified  him  by  letter  that  she 
had  found  Val  in  the  convent.  He  was  run- 
ning the  upper  rivers  at  the  time,  and  he  re- 
signed his  place,  and  hurried  South,  with  me 
to  help  him.  On  the  way  he  died,  but  I 
promised  him  to  rescue  Val  and  remove  her  to 
some  safe  place  in  Virginia.  Never  mind 
the  details.  You  shall  hear  them  all  when  I 
come  to  give  Uncle  Butler  the  facts,  for  now 
that  these  people  are  threatening  me  I  may 
need  your  help  and  so  I  want  you  present  at 
my  conference  with  my  uncle.  Just  now  I 
see  Valorie  in  the  garden,  superintending  some 
early  planting.  Suppose  we  join  her.  Don't 
tell  her  anything  of  all  this.  Together,  and 
with  the  aid  of  a  good  lawyer  we  can  keep 
her  out  of  that  woman's  clutches  till  she  comes 
of  age  —  or  marries." 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Phil,"  said  Greg,  anx- 
iously. "  I  believe  the  law  holds  a  man  re- 
sponsible for  anything  which  he  gets  some  one 
else  to  do  for  him,  just  the  same  as  if  he  had 
done  it  himself.  '  Qui  facit  per  alium,  facit 
per  se,'  the  law  phrase  runs." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    347 

"Yes,  well?     What  about  it?" 

"  Why  suppose  those  people  tamper  with 
Nathalie?" 

"  They  can't.  She'd  go  to  a  gibbet  be- 
fore she  would  tell  anything  that  might  hurt 
Valorie." 

"  But  suppose  they  put  her  on  the  witness 
stand  — " 

"They  can't." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  a  negro  is  not  allowed  to  testify 
against  a  white  person  in  Virginia." 

"  Is  she  a  negro,  then  ?  I  thought  you 
called  her  a  creole?  " 

"  She's  a  creole  with  what  our  law  calls  '  a 
visible  admixture  of  African  blood/  and  she 
was  born  a  slave.  That's  one  ground  of  her 
gratitude  to  Valorie's  father  —  that  he  set  her 
free.  Like  a  good  many  others  of  us  Vir- 
ginians, he  didn't  much  like  the  slavery  sys- 
tem, and  he  was  especially  averse  to  the  en- 
slavement of  persons  more  nearly  white  than 
black.  He  insisted  that  people  of  mixed  blood 
were  fairly  entitled  to  be  reckoned  white  or 
black,  accordingly  as  white  or  black  blood 


348   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

predominated  in  their  veins.  But  there  is 
enough  of  the  negro  in  Nathalie  to  exclude 
her  from  the  witness  chair  in  this  case.  If 
there  weren't  they'd  never  get  anything  out  of 
her.  Come  on,  Val  sees  us  and  is  waiting  for 
us." 

He  was  on  the  point  of  saying  "  you  "  in- 
stead of  "  us,"  but  he  did  not. 


XXXVI 

GREG  rode  homeward  as  soon  as  sup- 
per was  done,  and  the  weather  being 
still  comfortably  warm,  Phil  and  Va- 
lorie  sat  together  in  the  porch  for  a  time,  he 
smoking  and  she  hugging  herself  to  keep  a 
voluminous  nubia  drawn   around  her  shoul- 
ders as  a  protection  against  any  possible  chill. 

"  Mr.  Phil,"  she  said,  wistfully,  "  when  you 
come  to  tell  Uncle  Butler  all  the  facts  about 
me,  you'll  have  to  tell  him  about  my  father 
too,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  he  answered,  reflec- 
tively; "yes,  certainly.  He  will  insist  upon 
hearing  every  minute  detail,  and  of  course 
your  father  will  come  into  the  story." 

"  Then  may  I  be  there,  Mr.  Phil?  I  want 
to  hear  about  my  father." 

He  thought  a  moment  before  replying. 
Then  he  said : 

349 


350   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  If  you  really  wish  it,  Val,  you  shall  be 
present,  but  I  think  perhaps  you'd  better  not. 
Some  of  the  details  might  be  painful  to  you." 

"  But  you  said  my  father  was  not  a  bad 
man." 

"  He  was  not.  On  the  contrary  he  was  as 
good  a  man  as  I  ever  knew.  I  didn't  mean 
that  there  was  anything  of  that  kind." 

"  Then  please,  I  want  to  hear  it  all.  None 
of  the  other  things  count  with  me." 

"Very  well,"  he  said.  "After  all  I  do 
not  see  why  anything  I  shall  have  to  tell  need 
distress  you.  I  thought  at  first  they  might, 
but  upon  reflection  — " 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Phil.  Please  don't  do 
any  more  reflecting.  You  might  think  of 
something  else  and  change  your  mind  again, 
and  I  do  so  greatly  want  to  hear  the  story." 

"  Very  well.  You  shall.  I'll  not  change 
my  mind ;  I  promise  you." 

"  Thank  you  —  and  good  night,  Mr.  Phil." 

Phil  sat  in  the  porch  for  an  hour  or  more. 
He  had  a  good  many  things  to  think  of.  First 
of  all  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  bet- 
ter not  to  visit  the  lawyer  in  Richmond  on 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    351 

the  next  day.  His  uncle  might  take  it  amiss 
if  he  should  lay  his  facts  before  counsel  with- 
out first  consulting  him.  The  old  gentleman 
was  apt  to  be  sensitive  on  such  points,  and  his 
two  attacks  of  illness  seemed  to  have  sharp- 
ened his  sensitiveness. 

Then,  too,  Phil  was  not  fully  ready  to  con- 
sult the  lawyer  about  the  Spottswood  affairs. 
There  were  a  good  many  more  papers  to  go 
over  and  arrange  for  submission  to  him  be- 
fore he  could  profitably  do  that.  It  would  be 
better,  he  thought,  for  him  to  devote  the  next 
day  to  that  task.  Besides,  Edna  Spottswood 
would  have  to  help  him  in  that,  and  she  was  a 
particularly  agreeable  person  to  be  with.  It 
may  have  been  that  thought  that  decided  him, 
or  it  may  have  been  the  more  practical  rea- 
sons he  had  already  given  himself  for  not  go- 
ing to  Richmond  and  for  going  to  Mattapony 
instead.  However  that  may  be,  he  ended  his 
reflections  with  a  decision  to  that  effect. 

"After  all,"  he  said  to  himself,  "why 
should  I  hurry  myself  to  answer  those  rascals? 
They  can't  do  anything  till  they  serve  some 
sort  of  papers  upon  me.  On  the  whole,  I 


352  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

think  I  won't  answer  them  at  all.  Not  being 
a  lawyer,  I  might  commit  myself  in  some  way. 
I'll  consider  it  '  their  move  next,'  as  we  say  at 
draughts.  I'm  under  no  obligation  to  answer 
a  threatening  letter  that  covers  an  implied  ac- 
cusation. But  I  must  be  prepared  to  meet 
their  next  move,  if  they  make  one." 

With  that  he  rose  and  went  to  his  room. 
There  he  prepared,  a  brief  letter,  addressed  to 
the  lawyer  he  meant  to  employ.  In  it  he 
enclosed  a  substantial  check,  asking  the  lawyer 
to  consider  himself  retained  in  any  and  all 
cases  that  might  arise  affecting  himself,  or 
Valorie  or  Mrs.  Spottswood.  Giving  the  mis- 
sive into  the  hands  of  a  servant,  to  be  sent  to 
the  station  postoffice  in  the  early  morning,  he 
took  down  his  Ovid  and  read  it  for  an  hour 
— "just  to  get  the  taste  out  of  my  mouth," 
he  said. 

He  had  recovered  almost  too  much  of  his 
Latin  for  that,  however.  He  read  it  so  easily 
now  that  the  task  did  not  drive  other  thoughts 
from  his  mind.  He  chuckled  now  and  then 
to  think  of  the  vexation  the  lawyers  who  had 
written  to  him  would  feel  at  receiving  no 


TWO  GENTLEMEN'  OF  VIRGINIA    353 

answer.  Then  he  wondered  what  they  would 
do  next.  Then  he  thought  of  Edna  Spotts- 
wood,  and  of  Valorie,  and  wondered  why 
Greg  Tazewell  didn't  settle  the  whole  trouble 
by  marrying  Valorie  out  of  hand. 

"  Surely  I  gave  him  a  plain  enough  hint  to- 
day," he  thought.  Then  he  thought  of  Va- 
lorie again,  in  troubled  fashion,  this  time,  and 
gradually  forgot  about  everybody  else  —  even 
about  Ovid. 

After  awhile  he  was  waked  by  the  sputter- 
ing of  his  candle  which  had  burned  out  while 
he  slept  there  on  the  lounge. 

He  had  no  other  candle  in  the  room,  nor  did 
he  care  for  one.  The  weather  had  changed, 
and  a  terrific  thunder  storm  had  broken.  He 
was  in  a  mood  to  enjoy  it,  sitting  in  the  dark- 
ness at  his  open  window  and  watching  for  the 
successive  lightning  flashes.  The  wild  tumult 
was  in  keeping  with  his  own  spirit's  perturba- 
tion. 

In  that  hour  he  marked  out  a  future  course 
of  life  for  himself.  He  would  put  Mrs. 
Spottswood's  affairs  in  order  —  he  didn't 
think  of  Edna  now  that  he  had  dreamed  of 


354    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Valorie  —  and  he  would  bring  Valerie's  case 
to  a  final  issue  of  some  sort.  As  soon  as  she 
should  be  safe  from  further  danger  of  moles- 
tation, he  would  take  himself  out  of  the  quiet, 
Virginia  life,  where  it  was  too  easy  to  think 
of  the  things  he  wished  to  forget.  He  would 
return  to  the  West  and  with  his  own  wealth, 
which  was  large,  aided  by  the  practically  limit- 
less capital  which  such  a  master  man  of  af- 
fairs as  he  can  always  command,  he  would  or- 
ganize and  bring  to  accomplishment  those  great 
schemes  of  transportation  by  land  and  water 
which  had  long  lain  waiting  in  his  mind  for 
opportunity.  Now  that  the  country  was  again 
on  a  sound  financial  basis,  the  opportunity  had 
fully  come.  It  needed  only  the  man. 

"  And  I  am  the  man !  "  he  said  to  himself, 
not  vaingloriously  but  with  confidence  firmly 
founded  upon  his  knowledge  of  his  own,  thor- 
oughly proved  ability. 

"  In  that  way,  I  shall  be  able  to  forget  — 
perhaps." 

Thus  the  storm  within  subsided,  as  that 
without  had  done. 


XXXVII 

WITH  his  mind  fully  made  up  to 
follow  the  course  of  life  on  which 
he  had  decided,  Phil  Shenstone 
was  anxious  to  get  away  from  Virginia  as 
soon  as  possible.  He  did  not  understand  the 
reticence  of  Greg  and  Valorie  concerning  their 
engagement  —  of  which  he  had  now  no  doubt 
—  and  it  hurt  him  somewhat  that  they  had 
not  confided  in  him.  But  on  the  whole  he 
was  glad  to  have  it  so,  and  he  hoped  it  might 
remain  so  until  after  his  final  departure  for 
the  West.  It  would  spare  him  an  embarrass- 
ment at  least,  for  when  he  reflected  upon  the 
matter  he  was  doubtful  of  his  ability  to  re- 
ceive such  an  announcement  at  the  hands  of 
either,  with  a  reasonably  controlled  counte- 
nance. 

In  his  haste  to  complete  his  work  in  Vir- 
ginia, he  devoted  himself  diligently  next  day 
355 


356  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

to  the  task  that  still  remained  to  be  done  at 
Mattapony.  Contrary  to  his  purpose  of  the 
morning,  he  remained  to  dinner  there  in  order 
to  complete  the  work  that  day.  In  the  early 
evening  he  returned  to  Woodlands  bearing  all 
the  papers  duly  sorted,  labeled  and  catalogued, 
together  with  a  sweeping  power  of  attorney 
authorizing  him  to  act  for  Mrs.  Spottswood 
on  his  own  initiative. 

On  his  return  to  Woodlands  in  time  for  the 
nine  o'clock  supper,  he  learned  to  his  disap- 
pointment, that  by  his  absence  he  had  missed 
seeing  Mrs.  Albemarle,  who  had  driven  out 
from  Richmond  to  see  her  former  guardian 
and  Valorie.  She  had  had  another  purpose 
in  view  also.  Now  that  Colonel  Shenstone's 
speedy  recovery  seemed  assured,  she  wanted 
to  appoint  an  early  date  for  the  reception  she 
meant  to  give  to  Valorie. 

Incidentally  her  visit  had  done  Colonel 
Shenstone  a  world  of  good. 

"  She  kept  him  laughing  half  the  time,  and 
smiling  all  the  time  she  was  here,"  said  Va- 
lorie, delighted.  "  You  know  how  rippling 
and  ceaseless  her  humor  is,  Mr.  Phil.  Are 


TWO  GENTLEMEN,  OF  VIRGINIA  357 

you  very,  very  tired,  Mr.  Phil  ? "  she  asked 
with  concern,  observing  the  weary  look  that 
shadowed  his  countenance. 

"  No  —  not  very  tired,  Val.  I've  worked 
pretty  hard  over  papers  all  day,  but  I  reckon 
it  is  chiefly  because  I've  been  thinking  and 
planning  between  whiles.  I'll  tell  you,  Val. 
I've  decided  to  go  West  just  as  soon  as  I  can 
get  everything  in  good  shape  here  and  feel 
that  you  are  safe  from  annoyance." 

He  was  not  looking  at  Valorie  at  the  mo- 
ment, and  so  he  did  not  see  the  sudden  pallor 
that  overspread  her  face  as  he  said  this,  or  the 
hot  flushing  of  the  cheeks  that  followed. 

"  I  am  planning  a  great  enterprise.  The 
West  is  increasing  rapidly  in  population  and 
productiveness  now,  and  very  soon  it  must 
suffer  for  lack  of  adequate  facilities  for  getting 
its  products  to  market.  I'm  going  to  provide 
the  transportation  needed.  I  can  command 
all  the  capital  required.  I'm  going  to  organize 
a  great  steamboat  and  steamship  company. 
We'll  build  steamboats  as  fast  as  we  can,  and 
we'll  set  up  lines  of  ships  from  New  Orleans  to 
New  York  and  to  foreign  countries.  Per- 


358  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

haps  we  shall  do  something  in  railroads  too. 
Pardon  me.  You're  not  interested  in  such 
things.  I've  been  '  talking  shop  '  inexcusably. 
Has  Greg  been  here  to-day  ?  " 

"  No.  You  know  he  was  not  to  come  until 
to-morrow.  I  do  hope  he'll  find  Uncle  Butler 
well  enough  to  hear  what  you  have  to  tell 
him." 

"  So  do  I  and  I  hope  he,  and  the  lawyer 
I'm  going  to  consult,  will  soon  discover  a  way 
to  put  an  end  to  all  uncertainty  in  the  matter, 
so  that  I  may  the  sooner  get  away.  I  am  very 
anxious  to  do  that.  By  the  way,  Val,  please 
say  nothing  to  anybody  outside  our  own  cir- 
cle here,  about  Nathalie's  agency  in  getting 
you  out  of  the  convent  and  bringing  you  to 
Virginia.  It  might  get  her  into  trouble." 

"  Get  poor  Nathalie  into  trouble  ?  Why, 
how  can  it,  Mr.  Phil?" 

The  girl  spoke  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  that  it  would,  but  it 
might." 

"  Mr.  Phil,"  she  said,  very  seriously.  "  You 
are  keeping  something  back,  and  you  promised 
not  to  do  that  with  me,  you  know." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   359 

"Oh,  it  is  nothing,  except  that  those  unscrup- 
ulous lawyers  in  Richmond  are  trying  to  scare 
money  out  of  us  by  threatening  to  prosecute 
me  for  kidnapping  you,  and  as  they  can't 
prove  that  charge  they  might  decide  to  prose- 
cute Nathalie,  if  they  should  find  out  just 
what  she  did  in  the  matter.  Of  course  they 
know  I  would  never  let  her  suffer  for  what  I 
induced  her  to  do  for  me,  but  they  might  try 
to  get  at  me  by  threatening  her.  At  present 
nobody  knows  anything  about  that  but  you  and 
me.  If  we  say  nothing  those  blackmailers 
will  never  hear  of  it.  I've  told  Greg  about  it 
of  course,  but  he's  as  tight  as  a  drum." 

"  But  Mr.  Phil,  I'm  afraid  you've  got  your- 
self into  a  deal  of  trouble  for  my  sake.  What 
can  they  do  to  you  ?  " 

Her  voice  and  manner  betrayed  so  much  of 
concern  for  him  that  under  other  circum- 
stances than  those  that  he  confidently  believed 
to  exist,  something  decisive  would  have  hap- 
pened. As  it  was  he  addressed  himself  to  the 
task  of  reassuring  her. 

"  They  can  do  nothing  at  all  that  need 
bother  us,  I  think,  Val." 


360  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  But  what  if  they  should  ?  Oh,  I  am  so 
wretched ! " 

"  I  tell  you  they  can't.  They  can't  bring 
evidence  enough  to  bear,  even  to  justify  an 
indictment,  much  less  to  secure  a  conviction. 
And  even  if  they  should  get  me  indicted  and 
convicted,  my  lawyer  would  appeal  the  case 
and  carry  it  finally  to  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States.  That  would  take  from 
three  to  five  years,  and  within  less  than  three 
years  you'll  be  of  age  and  completely  out  of 
danger." 

"  Mr.  Phil,  that  is  very  unkind  of  you  — 
very  unjust." 

"What  is,  Val?" 

"  Why  to  suppose  that  I'm  anxious  about 
myself.  It  is  for  you,  you,  you,  that  I'm 
scared!" 

It  was  Valerie's  emotional  habit  thus  to  re- 
peat words  with  increasing  emphasis  when  she 
was  greatly  moved. 

"  Oh,  don't  worry  on  my  account,  Val.  I 
assure  you  I'm  completely  bullet  proof  in  this 
matter.  Why,  I  haven't  even  answered  the 
threatening  letter  those  rascals  sent  me,  and 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   361 

I  don't  mean  to.  If  they  write  again,  I  shall 
refer  them  to  my  lawyer  for  an  answer.  I'm 
twiddling  my  fingers  at  them." 

In  her  anxiety  for  him  the  girl  was  quick 
to  catch  at  his  words  and  question  them. 

"  Then  you've  engaged  a  lawyer  ?  " 

"  Yes,  one  of  the  best  in  Virginia." 

"  Mr.  Phil  that  means  that  you  really  are 
in  danger.  You're  trying  to  mislead  me,  and 
I  don't  like  it." 

"  Indeed  I  am  not,  Val.  I've  retained  a 
lawyer  partly  because  I  have  need  of  him  in 
protecting  Mrs.  Spottswood's  interests,  and 
partly  because  I  don't  want  to  have  any  deal- 
ings with  such  rascals  as  Stone  &  Maxey  are. 
I  don't  like  to  have  anything  to  do  with  such 
people.  If  I  did  they'd  pretty  certainly  insult 
me  in  some  way,  and  then  I'd  have  to  thrash 
them.  I  don't  care  to  soil  my  hands  in  that 
way." 

Seeing  that  the  girl  was  less  perfectly  re- 
assured than  he  wished,  he  added : 

"  Listen,  Val.  I  assure  you  on  my  word  of 
honor  that  after  going  over  every  possibility 
in  my  mind,  I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that 


362   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

those  rascals  are  powerless  to  do  me  any  harm. 
They  cannot  even  annoy  me  seriously.  So 
you  must  dismiss  your  fears  on  my  account. 
They  are  utterly  groundless." 

"  Now  you  are  candid  with  me.  I  thought 
you  weren't  till  you  said  that.  I  feel  better 
now,  thank  you." 

Remembering  her  strange  reticence  concern- 
ing her  attitude  toward  Greg  Tazewell,  he 
was  strongly  tempted  to  reply  that  he  wished 
she  would  be  equally  frank  with  him  about 
every  thing  that  concerned  herself  closely,  but 
feeling  that  that  would  be  an  unwarrantable 
intrusion  upon  her  reserve,  he  refrained. 

Presently  he  excused  himself  upon  the  plea 
that  he  had  important  letters  to  write  that 
night,  and  went  to  his  room,  where  he  wasted 
half  an  hour  puzzling  over  the  question : 
"  Why  should  her  concern  for  me  be  so  great 
and  so  emotional  ? "  But  he  made  nothing 
out  of  it,  and  was  forced  at  last  to  content 
himself  with  the  reflection  that  "  it  is  useless 
for  a  man  to  try  to  fathom  the  depths  of  a 
woman's  thinking  with  the  much  too  short 
lead  line  of  his  thinking.  No  man  ever  yet 


TWO  GENTLEMEN.  OF  VIRGINIA    363 

understood  a  woman,  and  no  man  ever  will." 
Dismissing  the  matter  he  set  to  work  on 
his  letter  to  his  lawyer,  which  was  to  accom- 
pany the  papers  from  Mattapony.  He  ex- 
plained the  situation  briefly,  and  referred  to 
the  papers  themselves  for  details. 

"  My  wish  is,"  he  continued,  "  that  you 
shall  at  once  take  whatever  measures  your 
judgment  may  approve  for  the  protection  of 
a  helpless  woman  who  has  been  shamefully 
swindled.  In  any  case  of  my  own,  of  course, 
I  should  scorn  to  plead  the  usury  law  or  any 
other  technicality  for  the  defeat  of  a  claim. 
Indeed,  even  when  acting  for  another  and  very 
helpless  person  I  should  not  resort  to  techni- 
calities to  escape  any  just  obligation.  But 
in  this  case  there  has  been  a  persistent  and 
deliberate  swindle  perpetrated  against  a  de- 
fenseless person.  I  have  no  hesitation,  there- 
fore, in  asking  you  to  use  every  means  that 
the  law  permits  to  secure  justice.  I  desire  you 
to  employ  every  technicality  you  may  find 
effective,  and  to  secure  the  forfeiture  of  every 
dollar  of  these  claims  that  you  find  it  possible 
to  eliminate  from  the  sum  total  of  the  in- 


364   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

debtedness.  I  wish  to  show  no  mercy  to  men 
who  have  put  themselves  beyond  the  pale  of 
consideration.  I  cannot  make  too  emphatic 
my  desire  and  purpose  that  there  shall  be  no 
abating  of  insistence  upon  every  right  and 
every  privilege  that  the  law  secures  to  the 
lady  whom  these  men  have  so  greatly  wronged. 
And  this  applies  to  matters  of  the  past  as 
well  as  to  those  of  the  present  and  future.  If, 
in  going  over  the  papers  you  find  ground  for 
claiming  the  repayment  to  her  of  any  moneys 
wrongfully  taken  from  her  in  the  past,  I  de- 
sire you  to  institute  the  proceedings  necessary 
to  the  accomplishment  of  that  purpose." 

When  the  lawyer  received  this  communica- 
tion by  the  hand  of  the  negro  messenger  who 
bore  the  papers,  his  partner  exclaimed: 

"What  a  fighter  he  is!" 

"  Yes,  in  a  good  cause,"  answered  the  other, 
who  personally  knew  Phil.  "  You  remember, 
don't  you,  the  story  of  the  way  he  interposed 
in  Colonel  Shenstone's  duel  with  Vance?  I 
haven't  heard  of  Vance's  challenging  anybody 
since  that  time." 

Mindful  of  the   fact  that  lawyers  file  all 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   365 

papers  relating  to  each  case  separately,  Phil 
had  put  into  another  note  what  he  had  to  say 
concerning  his  own  affairs.  He  wrote  briefly : 

"  It  is  possible  that  the  lawyers,  Stone  & 
Maxey  may  call  upon  you  with  reference  to 
matters  relating  to  me.  •  In  that  event  please 
say  that  you  must  consult  with  me  before  an- 
swering, and  then  notify  me.  Till  then  it  is 
not  necessary  to  trouble  you  with  details, 
though  I  shall  probably  visit  you  very  soon 
anyhow  and  tell  you  of  the  case." 

It  was  not  until  he  had  finished  the  writing 
of  his  letters  and  had  rested  himself  by  the 
leisurely  smoking  of  a  pipe,  that  Phil,  ap- 
proaching the  high  dressing  case  found  in 
every  Virginia  bedroom  of  that  time,  dis- 
covered there  a  missive  from  Mrs.  Albemarle. 
She  had  scribbled  it  hastily  during  her  visit, 
sealed  it  and  given  it  to  one  of  the  house- 
maids with  instructions  to  place  it  where  he 
now  found  it. 

"  You're  a  very  ill-mannered  young  gentle- 
man," it  read,  "  to  have  run  away  from  Wood- 
lands when  you  must  have  felt  it  in  your 
bones  that  I  was  coming.  Worse  still,  in- 


366  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

stead  of  returning  to  meet  me  at  dinner  you 
have  waited  for  me  to  go  away.  But  then 
you  never  were  very  well-mannered. 

"  Now  that  your  uncle  is  nearly  well  again, 
we  shall  expect  to  see  something  of  you  in 
Richmond.  Do  you  know  you  haven't  called 
upon  a  soul  since  you  returned  to  Virginia? 
You  did  come  to  see  me,  but  not  till  I  sent 
for  you,  and  I  don't  believe  you'd  have  come 
then  if  Valorie  hadn't  been  with  me.  I'll 
expect  to  meet  you  at  a  dozen  houses  soon. 
It  doesn't  do  for  a  particularly  eligible  young 
man  to  confine  his  visits  to  one  or  two  young 
women.  It  sets  people  talking. 

"  Adieu  till  I  see  you,  which  must  be  soon, 
as  the  two  charming  girls  who  are  staying 
with  me  can't  remain  long." 

To  this  there  was  a  postscript :  "  Edna 
Spottswood  is  a  dear  girl,  but  there  are  others, 
and,  —  well,  everyday  visits  are  sometimes 
dangerous,  especially  to  the  girl." 

Mrs.  Albemarle  usually  had  a  purpose  in 
writing  even  her  lightest  letters.  She  usually 
disguised  it  by  putting  it  into  a  postscript,  as  if 
it  had  been  an  afterthought. 


XXXVIII 

PHIL'S  impatience  for  the  long  delayed 
conference  with  his  uncle  rendered  him 
so  restless  that  he  spent  much  of  his 
time  riding  over  the  plantation,  shooting 
squirrels  in  the  woods  and  repairing  the 
threshing  machine.  He  was  especially  apt 
thus  to  absent  himself  from  the  house  on 
those  days  when  Greg  Tazewell  was  expected 
to  pass  a  morning  there.  He  tried  fishing 
for  silver  perch  in  a  distant  mill  pond,  but 
found  'himself  too  impatient  to  enjoy  that 
sport,  though  ordinarily  he  was  passionately 
fond  of  it 

Colonel  Shenstone  was  still  growing  stead- 
ily stronger,  but  in  his  anxiety  to  avoid  a  re- 
lapse Tazewell  still  withheld  permission  for 
the  conference.  Day  after  day  passed,  and  on 
one  of  those  days  Phil  received  a  second  letter 
from  Stone  &  Maxey.  Those  gentlemen 
367 


368   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

seemed  nettled  at  his  neglect  to  reply  and 
were  disposed  to  be  pressing  in  their  demand 
for  an  early  answer.  They  reminded  him 
that  this  was  a  matter  which  he  could  not 
safely  ignore,  and  suggested  that  unless  he 
should  respond  to  this  their  second  communi- 
cation, they  should  feel  themselves  obliged 
"  to  adopt  other  means  of  attracting  his  at- 
tention." 

He  wrote  in  reply  saying :  "  I  am  quite  un- 
able to  discover  anything  in  either  of  your  let- 
ters to  which  I  am  under  the  slightest  obliga- 
tion to  reply.  As  you  seem  of  a  different 
opinion  I  must  refer  you  to  my  attorney,  Col- 
onel Minor,  the  location  of  whose  office  you 
doubtless  know." 

He  enclosed  the  correspondence  to  his  law- 
yer, promising  to  visit  him  very  soon.  Then 
he  went  to  Greg  Tazewell,  protesting  that  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  hold  the  conference 
with  Colonel  Shenstone  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  and  Greg  consented  that  it  should 
take  place  on  the  next  day. 

When  the  next  day  came  Colqnel  Shenstone 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    369 

was  in  a  less  favorable  condition  than  he  had 
been. 

"  It  isn't  a  relapse,"  Greg  said.  "  His  gout 
is  not  manifesting  itself  again.  It  is  only  that 
he  is  aging  rapidly.  His  arteries  are  hard- 
ening. His  mind  seems  clear  enough,  but  he 
shrinks  from  using  it.  In  brief  he  is  getting 
to  be  an  old  man  and  from  that  there  is  no 
recovery." 

"  Then  you  think  we  must  postpone  this 
thing?" 

"  No.  On  the  contrary  I  think  the  sooner 
you  have  your  talk  with  him  the  better.  He 
is  eager  for  it,  and  we  have  promised  him  that 
it  shall  occur  to-day.  It  would  annoy  and 
distress  him  to  postpone  it,  and  besides  there 
is  no  use.  As  I  say,  he  is  free  from  gout  for 
the  present  and  free  from  pain,  and  he  will 
never  be  less  burdened  than  now  with  the  in- 
curable malady  of  old  age." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Phil.  "  But  we  won't  say 
that  sort  of  thing  to  Val.  It  would  distress 
her  to  no  good  purpose." 

Accordingly  it  was  arranged  that  as  soon 


370  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

as  Colonel  Shenstone  should  be  ready  and  Va- 
lorie  so  far  freed  from  her  household  cares 
as  to  let  her  listen  uninterruptedly,  the  recital 
should  begin. 

Lest  a  too  prolonged  sitting  up  should  over- 
fatigue  him,  the  little  conference  was  held  in 
his  chamber,  where  he  might  be  easily  trans- 
ferred from  his  easy  chair  to  the  lounge  or 
to  his  bed  in  case  of  need.  When  all  was 
ready  Colonel  Shenstone  said : 

"  Now,  Phil,  you  are  to  tell  everything, 
even  the  minutest  and  most  inconsequent  de- 
tails, lest  you  leave  out  something  of  vital 
importance.  You  are  not  a  lawyer  and  you 
cannot  know  what  is  important  and  what  is 
not" 

"  I  will  make  the  story  complete,"  said  Phil, 
spreading  some  papers  before  him. 

What  he  related  follows  in  some  chapters 
of  its  own  without  the  embarrassment  of  com- 
plex quotation  marks. 


XXXIX 

I  FIRST  met  Norman  Page  in  New  Or- 
leans, during  my  first  year  on  the  river. 
He  was  much  older  than  I,  but  the  fact 
that  we  were  both  Virginians  and  exiles  drew 
us  together.  We  were  both  better  educated 
than  even  the  best  of  the  steamboat  men  of 
that  time.  We  both  cherished  higher  stand- 
ards of  morality  and  conduct  than  were  com- 
mon on  the  river  in  those  days.  We  soon 
became  friends  and  he  took  me  as  his  "  cub," 
—  that  is  to  say  his  pupil  in  piloting.  He 
was  recognized  as  the  best  pilot  in  the  service 
then.  He  knew  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi 
thoroughly,  and  he  had  navigated  many  of 
their  tributaries.  I  could  not  have  had  a  bet- 
ter teacher.  When  at  last  I  got  my  license, 
he  and  I  generally  managed  to  be  on  the  same 
steamboat. 

I  told  him,  little  by  little,  all  about  myself, 
371 


372  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

and  he,  in  the  same  way,  told  me  of  his  own 
life,  which  had  been  in  some  ways  a  troubled 
one. 

He  had  married  Val's  mother  some  years 
before,  and  for  a  year  they  had  been  very 
happy.  Then  Val  was  born  and  the  mother 
died  —  when  the  child  was  a  week  old. 

Val's  mother  had  a  half  sister,  younger 
than  herself,  named  Eulalie  Dexter,  and  to 
her  care,  as  her  only  female  relative,  Norman 
Page  committed  his  child.  The  nurse  Na- 
thalie had  been  devoted  to  her  mistress,  Val's 
mother,  and  Page  stipulated  that  she  should 
continue  to  be  the  baby's  nurse.  Nathalie 
was  one  of  those  unfortunates,  common  in 
New  Orleans,  whose  descent  is  almost  alto- 
gether from  white  ancestry,  but  who  are  ac- 
counted negroes  because  of  a  mere  trace  of 
negro  blood.  Her  complexion  was  that  of  a 
clear  skinned  brunette  —  just  such  a  com- 
plexion as  one  sees  all  about  him  in  the  most 
aristocratic  Creole  drawing  rooms.  She  had 
the  hair,  the  features  and  the  carriage  of  a 
white  woman.  The  admixture  of  negro  blood 
was  "  visible "  only  in  the  porcelain  tinted 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    373 

whites  of  her  eyes  and  in  the  little  moons  at 
the  roots  of  her  finger  nails,  and  even  there 
the  signs  of  it  were  so  slight  that  only  an 
expert  could  have  discovered  them.  For  more 
than  a  dozen  years  past  she  has  been  re- 
garded as  a  white  woman  of  the  pure-blooded 
Creole  race,  and  she  is  now  everywhere  ac- 
cepted as  such.  But  she  was  a  slave  until 
Valerie's  father  purchased  her  from  the  es- 
tate to  which  she  belonged  and  set  her  free 
in  recognition  of  her  devotion  to  his  child. 

At  the  time  of  his  wife's  death  he  estab- 
lished Eulalie  Dexter  in  a  comfortable  house 
on  the  Creole  side  of  the  town,  provided  her 
with  servants  and  supplied  her  with  the  money 
needed  for  the  maintenance  of  the  menage. 

Eulalie  Dexter  was  a  peculiar  woman  —  a 
woman  of  very  dangerous  type  though  Nor- 
man Page,  with  his  chivalric  regard  for 
women,  did  not  suspect  the  fact.  In  person 
she  was  singularly  attractive  —  tall,  slender, 
long-necked  and  almost  serpent-like  in  the 
graceful  flexibility  of  her  body.  She  was  a 
woman  whom  nobody  could  see  in  the  street 
without  seeking  a  second  look,  and  she  made 


374    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

the  most  of  her  appearance  by  a  really  extraor- 
dinary art  in  the  fashioning  and  in  the  wear- 
ing of  her  clothes. 

In  intellect  she  was  alert  —  even  brilliant  — 
and  in  manner  she  had  a  certain  carefully  cul- 
tivated simplicity,  or  ingenuousness, —  resemb- 
ling that  of  a  child  —  which  added  mightily  to 
the  fascination  she  exercised  over  men  and 
women  alike. 

As  for  character,  she  had  none,  except  the 
veneer  of  proper  conduct  which  she  assumed 
for  reasons  of  prudence  and  for  the  sake  of 
self  advancement.  Seemingly  as  innocent  of 
guile  as  the  veriest  child,  she  was  in  fact  ut- 
terly unscrupulous  in  the  prosecution  of  her 
purposes,  whatever  they  might  be. 

Norman  Page  had  transferred  to  his  child 
all  the  tender  devotion  he  had  felt  for  her 
mother.  He  refused  to  engage  in  any  serv- 
ice that  did  not  have  New  Orleans  for  one 
of  its  termini,  and  when  in  New  Orleans  he 
passed  all  his  time  observing  Val's  growth, 
teaching  her  to  walk  when  the  time  came, 
minutely  and  lovingly  watching  the  develop- 
ment of  her  infantile  mind.  When  she  was 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    375 

old  enough  to  understand  them  he  told  her 
stories  and  recited  jingles  that  delighted  her. 
Both  the  stories  and  the  jingles  were  his  own. 
He  "  made  them  up  "  during  the  long  night 
watches  in  the  pilot  house,  happy  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  delight  the  little  girl  would  mani- 
fest when  he  should  come  to  repeat  them  to 
her. 

[At  this  point  in  his  narrative  Phil,  who 
was  observing  Valorie  closely,  saw  tears  slip- 
ping out  between  her  eyelids.  He  took  no 
outward  notice  of  the  fact,  but  by  way  of 
sparing  her,  he  hurried  on  to  other  things.] 

Norman  Page  was  never  a  rich  man.  He 
was  too  generous  for  that.  He  stood  always 
ready  to  open  his  purse  in  aid  of  anybody 
who  was  "  down  on  his  luck,"  and  especially 
he  was  lavish  in  his  generosity  toward  steam- 
boat men  in  distress,  however  humble  their 
rank  among  steamboat  men  might  be,  and 
however  obviously  their  misfortunes  might  be 
due  to  their  own  fault.  From  captains  to 
roustabouts  he  was  always  ready  to  come  to 
their  rescue  when  misfortune  befell.  But  he 
made  money  easily,  and  having  no  bad  habits, 


376   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

he  had  accumulated  a  modest  competence, 
when  Eulalie  Dexter  decided  to  make  herself 
his  wife.  She  exercised  a  certain  fascination 
over  him,  as  she  did  over  all  who  came  into 
contact  with  her,  but  he  had  loved  Val's 
mother  far  too  devotedly  ever  to  love  any 
other  woman.  He  resisted  this  woman's  wiles 
so  successfully  that  she  found  it  necessary 
to  resort  to  other  methods.  She  ceased  to 
smile.  She  put  aside  all  her  gayety.  She 
assumed  the  demeanor  of  one  in  distress  and 
perplexity.  The  change  in  her  was  so  marked 
that  Page,  with  his  always  ready  sympathy, 
sought  to  find  out  its  cause  in  the  hope  of 
alleviating  her  sorrow,  whatever  its  nature 
might  be.  At  first  she  pretended  to  resist  his 
entreaties  to  know  what  was  the  matter,  but 
one  day,  when  his  inquiries  were  especially 
sympathetic,  she  burst  into  tears  —  for  she 
seems  to  have  been  a  consummate  actor  — 
and  said  to  him : 

"  It  isn't  your  fault,  Norman  —  or  at  any 
rate  you  have  not  intended  what  you  have 
done.  But  your  being  here  at  my  house  so 
much  —  spending  all  the  daylight  hours  here 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    377 

whenever  you  are  in  New  Orleans,  and  usually 
staying  till  Valerie's  bed  time  —  all  this  has 
made  people  talk  until  now  everybody  shuns 
me." 

So  she  went  on,  weeping  and  elaborating 
her  account  of  her  sufferings,  until  Page's 
chivalry  could  not  fail  to  come  to  the  rescue. 
She  knew  how  to  make  herself  agreeable  as 
well  as  fascinating,  and  having  failed  to  fas- 
cinate him,  she  had  taken  pains  to  make  her- 
self agreeable  to  him.  Why  should  he  not 
atone  for  the  grievous  wrong  he  had  uncon- 
sciously done  her,  by  making  her  his  wife? 

With  scarcely  a  moment's  thought  he  pro- 
posed that  course  to  her,  and  she  accepted  it. 

For  a  time  the  two  got  on  very  well  to- 
gether. Eulalie  took  care  that  it  should  be  so, 
until,  little  by  little,  she  had  induced  him  to 
transfer  most  of  his  property  to  her.  "  It  is 
only  that  Valorie  and  I  may  be  provided  for 
in  case  anything  should  happen,"  she  ex- 
plained, "  and  you  know  steamboating  is  a 
hazardous  business." 

When  Valorie  was  about  six  or  seven  years 
old, —  that  was  before  I  knew  Norman  Page 


378   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

—  he  accepted  an  offer  to  go  as  chief  pilot  on 
a  slow,  freight  steamer,  carrying  a  cargo  of 
cotton  and  molasses  to  Pittsburg.  There  were 
very  few  pilots  who  knew  both  the  Mississippi 
and  the  Ohio  throughout  its  entire  length,  and 
by  way  of  avoiding  the  necessity  of  changing 
their  chief  pilot  several  times  on  the  voyage, 
the  owners  of  the  boat  offered  Page  unusually 
high  wages  to  take  their  boat  up  and  back. 
The  voyage,  including  the  time  consumed  in 
discharging  cargo  at  Pittsburg  and  taking  on 
a  new  one  there  and  at  Cincinnati,  Louisville 
and  other  points,  promised  to  occupy  a  couple 
of  months,  for  the  boat  was  very  slow  and 
dangerously  overloaded.  Valorie  wept  bit- 
terly when  she  learned  that  he  was  likely  to 
be  away  for  so  long,  but  he  bade  her  be  of 
good  cheer,  gently  released  his  head  from  her 
encircling  arms,  and  hurried  away. 

He  never  saw  her  afterwards. 

On  his  return  to  New  Orleans  he  hurried 
to  his  home  and  found  it  occupied  by  strangers 
who  soon  convinced  him  that  they  had  bought 
it  for  less  than  half  its  value  from  his  wife. 

He  was  bewildered.     Letters  from  Eulalie 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    379 

had  reached  him  at  various  points  —  the  latest 
one  of  them  at  Vicksburg,  less  than  two  days 
before.  In  none  of  these  had  she  given  the 
least  intimation  of  her  intention  to  sell  the 
house,  yet  upon  inquiry  he  learned  that  she 
had  actually  sold  it  within  the  first  week  of 
his  absence,  and  further  inquiry  revealed  the 
fact  that  about  the  same  time  she  had  sold 
all  her  other  property  at  a  like  sacrifice. 

He  could  in  nowise  understand,  and  he  was 
especially  puzzled  to  explain  the  receipt  of  the 
series  of  letters  from  her,  most  of  them  dated 
and  postmarked  after  the  time  of  her  apparent 
flight.  I  may  as  well  explain  that  he  after- 
wards discovered  the  secret  of  that.  She  had 
carefully  prepared  the  series  of  letters  before 
her  disappearance,  dating  them  at  intervals 
in  the  future;  she  had  left  them  with  a  person 
who  was  employed  to  post  each  of  them  on 
the  date  it  bore,  and  she  had  eloped  with  an 
opera  tenor  who  left  his  wife  penniless  in 
New  Orleans. 

But  before  inquiring  into  such  details,  Page 
had  devoted  himself  with  almost  insane  eager- 
ness to  the  discovery  of  Val's  whereabouts. 


380  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

To  that  end  he  first  sought  for  Nathalie  in 
every  place  where  he  thought  her  likely  to  be, 
but  with  no  result.  He  could  not  believe  that 
she,  too,  had  betrayed  him,  but  he  had  little 
to  guide  him  in  his  search  for  her,  until  the 
thought  entered  his  mind  that  the  faithful 
nurse  might  be  hunting  for  him  while  he  was 
searching  for  her.  Very  naturally  she  would 
go  to  the  steamboat  from  which  he  had  landed, 
as  soon  as  she  should  learn  of  its  return. 
Convinced  of  this  he  hurried  back  to  the  levee, 
and  there,  as  he  had  hoped,  he  found  Na- 
thalie seated  upon  a  corn  sack  within  full 
view  of  the  gang  plank  of  his  boat.  She  had 
hurried  to  the  boat,  and  had  arrived  just  after 
he  had  gone  ashore.  Sure  that  he  would  re- 
turn to  look  for  her  there,  she  had  remained, 
impatiently  awaiting  him. 

But  now  that  he  had  found  her  she  could 
give  him  little  information,  and  none  at  all 
of  the  kind  he  desired. 

She  told  him  that  a  few  days  after  he  had 
started  up  the  river,  Mrs.  Page  had  sent  her, 
Nathalie,  to  deliver  a  note  addressed  to  some 
one  out  near  the  steamboat  landing  on  Lake 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    381 

Pontchartrain.  She  had  bidden  her  take  a 
fly  and  not  to  return  until  she  should  find  the 
person  intended  and  deliver  the  note,  the  ad- 
dress upon  which  was  vague.  Nathalie  had 
spent  the  whole  afternoon  in  a  vain  search, 
and  at  last  she  had  returned  to  town.  Upon 
reaching  the  house  she  found  it  closed  and 
locked,  and  from  that  hour  she  had  been  ut- 
terly unable  to  find  trace  of  Valorie.  She  suc- 
ceeded in  learning  that  the  woman  had  gone 
away  with  the  tenor,  so  she  visited  the  man's 
abandoned  wife,  but  that  unhappy  woman 
could  give  her  no  information  except  that  her 
husband  and  Mrs.  Page  had  taken  ship  for 
Havana,  and  had  taken  no  child  with  them. 
When  Nathalie  had  finished  her  story  she 
said  to  her  master :  "  If  you  blame  me  for  this, 
I'll  jump  into  the  river,"  and  her  tone  showed 
clearly  that  she  meant  it.  Page  reassured  her, 
telling  her  that  not  the  smallest  blame  was 
hers,  and  that  she  must  not  jump  into  the 
river  for  the  reason  that  he  needed  her  help 
in  finding  the  child.  The  two  set  about  the 
search  and  prosecuted  it  ceaselessly,  but  with- 
out result,  except  that  a  dressmaker  who  had 


382   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

made  many  gowns  for  Eulalie  told  him  his 
wife  had  said  to  her  that  she  was  going  to 
send  the  child  to  France  or  Italy  to  be  edu- 
cated and  trained  for  the  stage.  The  woman 
added  that  Mrs.  Page  had  said  she  was  to  give 
this  information  if  any  one  should  inquire 
about  the  child. 

[At  this  point  Colonel  Shenstone's  weakness 
and  weariness  under  the  strain  of  prolonged 
attention,  was  so  apparent  that  Greg  Tazewell 
insisted  upon  a  suspension  of  the  narrative 
until  the  next  day.  The  rest  of  the  story,  as 
related  afterwards,  follows  in  the  succeeding 
chapters.] 


XL 

THE  property  which  Page  had  given  to 
his  wife,  and  which  she  had  now 
sold,  constituted  the  greater  part  of 
his  possessions,  but  fortunately  he  had  some 
money  in  bank  and  he  owned  an  interest  in 
some  steamboats.  Converting  everything  into 
cash,  he  set  out  at  once  for  Europe,  taking 
Nathalie  with  him  to  help  him  in  his  search 
there  for  his  child.  The  loss  of  his  faithless 
wife  would  have  given  him  little  concern,  if 
the  child  had  been  left  to  him,  for  Eulalie 
had  never  won  his  affection  in  any  marked 
way,  and  even  his  respect  for  her  had  been 
seriously  impaired  by  the  more  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  her  character  which  married 
life  had  given  him.  Still  I  reckon  it  was  just 
as  well  that  he  did  not  discover  the  tenor, 
Signor  Minghetti,  whose  real  name  was  John 
Lee.  The  fellow  had  put  such  an  affront 
383 


384   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

upon  him  as  it  was  not  in  Norman  Page's 
nature  to  endure  if  he  could  have  met  the 
man. 

Page  spent  a  year  or  two  in  his  search  in 
France  and  Italy,  and  by  the  time  his  money 
was  exhausted,  he  was  satisfied  that  he  had 
been  following  a  wrong  scent.  There  was 
nothing  for  him  to  do  but  return  to  America 
and  set  to  work  to  repair  his  fortunes.  With 
his  first  earnings  he  established  Nathalie  in  a 
little  business  of  her  own  in  Canal  Street,  bid- 
ding her  regard  herself  thereafter  as  a  white 
person,  a  thing  likely  to  be  advantageous  to 
her  in  business,  as  well  as  otherwise.  "  Her 
taint,"  he  said  to  me  when  telling  me  the  story 
long  afterwards,  "  was  so  immeasurably  small 
that  it  was  a  cruel  wrong  to  recognize  it  as  any 
taint  at  all." 

He  had  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  finding 
his  child,  but  Nathalie's  optimism  was  more 
obstinate.  Perhaps  optimism  was  all  that  her 
trace  of  negro  blood  had  given  to  her  char- 
acter. At  any  rate  she  continued  to  hope  that 
some  day  she  should  find  the  child  to  whom 
she  had  given  a  love  closely  like  that  of  a 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   385 

mother.  A  year  ago  this  month  her  hope 
was  fulfilled.  By  the  merest  accident  she 
learned  that  the  girl  for  whom  she  had  sought 
through  the  long  years  was  in  a  convent 
school  at  some  little  distance  from  New  Or- 
leans. Fearing  that  time  and  possibly  an 
association  with  her  runaway  stepmother 
might  so  far  have  changed  Val  as  to  render 
it  wiser  not  to  tell  Page  of  her  discovery,  she 
decided,  with  her  Creole  shrewdness,  to  make 
inquiries.  Arraying  herself  in  a  costume  be- 
fitting a  well-to-do  gentlewoman,  she  visited 
the  convent  under  a  pretense  of  inquiring  the 
terms  for  some  young  lady  in  whom  she  as- 
sumed to  be  interested. 

She  was  told  that  the  rules  of  the  establish- 
ment forbade  the  sisters  to  receive  any  pupils 
over  fifteen  years  of  age,  or  to  keep  any  pupil 
after  she  should  pass  her  fifteenth  birthday. 
She  was  disheartened  at  this,  for  she  knew 
that  Valorie  was  more  than  seventeen,  and  she 
argued  that  her  information  as  to  Valerie's 
presence  in  the  institution,  must  be  erroneous. 
At  that  moment  she  saw  two  girls  walking 
among  the  trees  of  the  closely  walled  grounds. 


386   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

In  spite  of  the  years  she  recognized  one  of 
them  as  Valorie.  Turning  to  the  sister  she 
said: 

"  Surely  that  tall  girl  is  more  than  fifteen." 

"  No,"  answered  the  nun.  "  We  do  not 
know  her  age  exactly,  but  we  are  assured  by 
those  who  are  her  sponsors  that  she  is  only 
fourteen.  Ours  is  a  refuge  even  more  than  it 
is  a  school,  you  know,  and  there  are  some 
cases  — " 

"  In  which  girls  are  fourteen  for  a  long 
time,"  answered  Nathalie,  with  a  carefully  pla- 
cative  smile.  "  I  see.  Of  course  in  such  cases 
you  are  bound  to  believe  what  you  are  told, 
and  doubtless  it  is  better  so." 

I  must  tell  you  that  Nathalie  is  educated, 
as  many  of  her  class  are  in  Louisiana,  that  her 
manners  are  altogether  those  of  a  lady,  and 
that  she  has  a  certain  suave  self  possession 
that  would  have  made  a  capital  actress  of  her 
had  she  been  trained  for  the  stage. 

She  could  not  ask  to  see  Val  without  ex- 
citing suspicion,  and  she  knew,  too,  that  it 
was  a  violation  of  the  very  necessary  rules  of 
the  convent  for  any  of  the  girls  to  receive 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    387 

visitors.  But  upon  pretense  of  interest  in  the 
beauty  of  the  sub-tropical  gardens,  she  stood 
for  a  minute  by  an  open  window,  remaining 
there  till  she  caught  sight  of  Val  again. 
Then  she  commented  to  the  nun  upon  the 
beauty  of  "  the  child,"  and  the  peculiar  grace 
of  her  carriage.  The  nun  replied  with  an 
appearance  of  pleasure  in  the  commendation, 
saying: 

"  She  is  carefully  trained  to  that,  and  also 
in  her  music.  We  employ  special  masters  for 
her  —  she  is  to  go  on  the  stage.  She  is  a 
very  pleasing  girl,  and  her  mother,  who  has 
just  returned  from  abroad,  thinks  she  will  be 
a  greatly  successful  actress.  You  should  see 
her  dance.  She  is  extraordinary." 

Nathalie  took  her  leave  graciously  and  re- 
turning to  the  city,  wrote  and  sent  a  dozen 
letters  to  Norman  Page,  addressing  them  to 
the  different  cities  on  the  river,  and  adding 
to  his  name,  on  each  of  the  envelopes,  the 
legend,  "  pilot  or  captain  of  a  steamboat,"  so 
that  each  letter  would  be  sent  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  pilot's  association  in  the  city 
to  which  it  was  addressed  Nathalie  feared 


388  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

that  Eulalie,  from  whom  Page  had  long  be- 
fore secured  a  divorce,  might  remove  Val 
from  the  school  and  take  her  away  somewhere 
before  her  father's  arrival.  Now  that  the 
woman  had  returned,  something  of  that  kind 
was  more  than  likely  and  she  gave  special 
emphasis  to  the  danger  in  all  her  letters. 

Page  was  running  on  the  steamboat  High- 
flyer at  the  time,  plying  between  Louisville 
and  St.  Louis.  It  was  at  St.  Louis  that  he 
received  one  of  Nathalie's  letters.  I  happened 
to  be  there  at  the  time  looking  after  one  of 
my  new  steamboat  lines.  For  the  moment  his 
mind  refused  to  grasp  the  truth.  In  a  dazed 
way  he  handed  the  missive  to  me  and  I  read 
it. 

"  This  means,"  I  said,  "  that  you  must  go 
to  New  Orleans  at  once,  and  of  course  I  shall 
go  with  you.  Fortunately  the  Bald  Eagle  is 
just  ready  to  leave,  and  she's  one  of  the  fast- 
est boats  on  the  river.  Don't  let  her  get  away 
without  us.  Shake  yourself  together,  go  on 
board  of  her  and  ask  Captain  Murdock  to  hold 
her  till  I  come.  I'll  go  to  the  Highflyer  and 
ask  Captain  Wright  to  get  another  pilot  in 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   389 

your  place.     Hurry,    or   the   Eagle   will   get 
away  before  you  get  there." 

I  remember  almost  the  exact  words  I  used, 
because  I  was  really  frightened  by  his  dazed 
condition,  and  wanted  to  rouse  him  by  giving 
him  something  to  do.  He  pulled  himself  to- 
gether and  hurried  away.  Half  an  hour  later 
I  went  aboard  the  Bald  Eagle  and  she  was 
immediately  cast  loose.  Now  you're  tired 
again,  Uncle  Butler,  and  must  wait  and  rest 
before  hearing  more.  There  is  still  a  great 
deal  to  be  told. 


XLI 

[It  was  after  dinner  when   Phil  went  on 
with  his  narrative.] 

ON  the  way  down  the  river,  Norman 
told  me  in  detail  of  his  fears  and  his 
plans.  Chiefly  his  fear  was  that  his 
ex-wife,  Eulalie  Lee,  might  take  Valorie  and 
leave  the  country  or  go  into  hiding  with  her 
before  he  could  get  to  New  Orleans.  As  for 
his  plans,  he  intended  to  place  Val  in  the  keep- 
ing of  some  proper  person  in  Virginia,  so  that 
she  might  come  to  womanhood  under  those 
influences  which  he  regarded  as  best  for  girls  in 
the  formative  period  of  young  womanhood. 
He  had  himself  no  near  relatives  here,  and  he 
had  been  so  long  absent  from  the  State  that  he 
knew  no  one  whom  he  could  ask  to  receive 
his  daughter,  so  he  appealed  to  me,  and  I, 
confident  of  your  approval,  promised  him  that 
she  should  find  a  home  at  Woodlands. 
390 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    391 

A  little  way  below  Memphis  the  Bald 
Eagle's  boilers  —  seven  in  all  and  all  con- 
nected contrary  to  law  —  exploded,  tearing 
the  boat  literally  to  pieces  and  scattering  the 
fragments  of  her  upper  works  over  the  river 
for  half  a  mile  in  every  direction.  Page  and 
I  were  sitting  on  the  forward  guards  at  the 
time,  and  both  of  us  were  hurled  high  in  air. 
When  I  struck  the  water  I  sank  to  so  great 
a  depth  that  although  I  had  my  wits  about 
me  I  had  great  difficulty  in  holding  my  breath 
long  enough  to  reach  the  surface.  My  left  arm 
and  my  left  leg  were  slightly  scalded  by  the 
escaping  steam,  but  otherwise  I  was  uninjured. 
A  moment  after  I  got  my  first  full  breath,  I 
saw  Page  come  to  the  surface,  and  seeing  that 
he  was  unconscious  and  about  to  sink  again, 
I  seized  him  and  with  some  difficulty  swam 
ashore  with  his  half  lifeless  body.  He  had 
inhaled  water  and  was  well  nigh  drowned. 
On  reaching  the  shore,  the  people  who  had 
hurried  from  the  houses  near  by,  soon  relieved 
his  lungs  and  we  had  him  breathing  again. 
But  he  was  fearfully  scalded. 

I  had  him  removed  to  the  nearest  house  and 


392  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

summoned  physicians  from  Memphis,  the  two 
volunteer  doctors  who  were  present,  having 
far  more  than  they  could  do  in  caring  for  the 
large  number  of  wounded.  Under  some  pal- 
liative treatment  his  suffering  was  so  far  re- 
lieved by  nightfall  that  his  mind  cleared  and 
he  could  talk  with  me.  But  from  the  first 
there  was  no  hope  of  his  recovery.  When 
the  doctors,  while  dressing  my  own  trifling 
burns,  assured  me  of  that,  I,  knowing  how 
brave  a  man  he  was,  and  knowing,  too,  that 
he  would  have  some  instructions  to  give  me, 
frankly  told  him  what  the  verdict  of  the 
physicians  was. 

He  looked  at  me  out  of  his  brave,  gentle 
eyes,  and  said,  "  Thank  you,  Phil,  for  telling 
me.  I'm  sorry  I  shall  not  be  able  to  see  my 
little  girl  again.  But  you  must  look  after 
her,  Phil.  You  must  get  her  out  of  the  con- 
vent. It  won't  be  easy  to  do  that,  but 
Nathalie  will  help.  Get  her  out  and  take  her 
to  Virginia.  Promise  me,  Phil." 

I  told  him  I  would  do  as  he  wished  at  all 
costs  and  all  hazards  and  it  seemed  to  relieve 
his  mind..  He  could  not  talk  connectedly. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    393 

His  words  came  in  gasps,  as  if  painfully  forced 
out.  The  doctors  explained  that  by  telling 
me  that  some  of  the  air  passages  were  scalded. 
Presently  he  said: 

"  All  my  money  is  in  your  hands,  Phil,  in- 
vested in  your  steamboat  enterprises  and  pay- 
ing well.  Keep  it  so  for  Valorie,  till  she 
comes  of  age.  If  I  could  write  — " 

He  grew  silent  for  a  long  time.  Then  he 
said :  "  We  are  two  gentlemen  of  Virginia — 
we  need  no  writing." 

Those  were  the  last  words  he  spoke  and 
the  phrase  he  used,  "two  gentlemen  of  Vir- 
ginia," has  been  a  talisman  with  me  ever 
since,  a  sufficient  pledge  of  honor  for  me  to 
give  or  to  receive  in  any  dealing  with  a  man 
of  Norman  Page's  kind.. 

[At  this  point  the  lawyer  instinct  in  Colonel 
Shenstone  asserted  itself.  "  Of  course,  you 
took  out  letters  of  administration?" 

"  No,"  answered  Phil.  "  It  didn't  occur 
to  me  as  necessary.  All  the  property  was  al- 
ready in  my  hands,  by  his  own  act,  and  I 
have  so  managed  it  as  to  double  it  and  more 
during  the  last  year." 


394   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Very  irregular !  "  exclaimed  the  old  law- 
yer ;  "  very  irregular  indeed !  But  go  on  with 
your  story,  Phil."  The  young  man  pro- 
ceeded.] 

I  buried  my  friend  in  a  Memphis  cemetery 
and  ordered  a  temporary  stone  placed  over  his 
grave  to  mark  it.  I  have  since  erected  a  fitter 
monument  to  him.  I  had  no  time  to  lose 
then,  but  must  take  the  first  boat  for  New 
Orleans. 

There  I  went  at  once  to  see  Nathalie.  I 
found  her  a  woman  of  unusual  shrewdness, 
with  a  presence  and  a  manner  altogether  mod- 
est but  attractive.  She  had  been  at  pains  to 
learn  that  Val  was  still  in  the  convent,  but  it 
was  not  easy  to  devise  means  by  which  to 
get  her  out.  The  ladies  of  the  convent  had 
received  their  charge  at  Mrs.  Eulalie  Lee's 
hands,  as  her  daughter,  Valorie  Lee.  They 
could  not  be  expected  to  surrender  her  to  any- 
body without  Mrs.  Lee's  authority.  It  was 
obviously  useless  to  hope  for  that.  The  rules 
of  the  convent,  like  those  of  all  girls'  schools, 
very  properly  forbade  pupils  to  receive  letters 
except  through  the  hands  of  those  in  author- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    395 

ity.  It  was,  therefore,  impossible  to  commu- 
nicate with  Val  in  the  ordinary  way.  Nathalie 
was  confident,  and  so  was  I,  that  if  she  could 
get  a  note  to  Val,  telling  her  what  to  do,  she 
would  obey  the  instruction.  But  how  to  ac- 
complish that  was  a  problem. 

We  thought  of  employing  some  negro 
woman  to  approach  the  servants  in  the  school, 
but  that  would  be  dangerous  in  many  ways. 
At  last  Nathalie  hit  upon  a  plan.  She  had 
learned  that  most,  if  not  all  the  girls  in  the 
convent,  were  the  daughters  of  actresses  or 
other  women  who  for  one  reason  or  another 
could  not  keep  their  daughters  with  them. 
She  had  among  her  customers  one  woman  of 
the  stage,  who,  as  leading  lady  in  a  New  Or- 
leans stock  company,  did  in  fact  live  perma- 
nently in  the  city,  with  her  daughter,  a  bright, 
intelligent  child  of  twelve.  But  her  profes- 
sion would  sufficiently  account  for  a  wish  on 
her  part  to  place  the  girl  in  the  school.  Na- 
thalie believed  she  could  induce  this  lady  to 
assist  us.  Her  plan  was  to  have  the  lady 
visit  the  school,  inquire  terms  and  conditions 
of  admission,  and  then  ask  the  privilege  of 


396   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

placing  her  daughter  there  for  a  few  days  or 
a  week,  to  see  if  the  child  could  be  happy  and 
contented  in  the  institution,  before  deciding  to 
place  her  there  permanently.  Nathalie's  plan 
was,  if  she  could  gain  the  mother's  consent,  to 
take  the  girl  into  the  secret  and  entrust  a  letter 
to  her  for  secret  delivery  to  Val. 

The  mother  was  a  good-natured,  obliging 
sort  of  person,  fond  of  Nathalie  and  always  in 
her  debt  for  "  creations  "  in  the  way  of  costly 
gowns  and  the  like.  Moreover  she  was  the- 
atrical to  her  finger-tips,  and  the  idea  of  play- 
ing a  leading  part  in  a  little  drama  in  real 
life  seemed  to  appeal  strongly  to  her.  As 
soon  as  the  situation  was  explained  to  her  she 
entered  heartily  into  the  scheme. 

I  had  some  very  pressing  affairs  to  attend 
to  up  the  river,  so  as  soon  as  matters  were 
in  train,  I  left  Nathalie  to  execute  her  plan, 
instructing  her  to  telegraph  me  as  soon  as  she 
should  get  possession  of  Val,  and  then  to  get 
out  of  Louisiana  with  her  as  soon  as  possible. 
In  aid  of  that  I  ordered  one  of  my  steamboat 
captains  to  lie  at  the  levee,  with  steam  partially 
up  until  Nathalie  should  come  on  board  with 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   397 

her  charge.  He  was  then  to  leave  at  once, 
landing  the  two  at  Memphis,  whence  Nathalie 
was  to  come  immediately  to  Richmond  by  the 
Memphis  &  .Charleston  railroad  and  its  con- 
nections, and  meet  me  at  the  Exchange  Hotel. 

Nathalie  managed  the  matter  skilfully.  She 
prepared  a  long  letter  to  Val,  telling  her  of 
her  stepmother's  plans  to  sell  her  to  the  stage 
—  a  thing  that  Val  already  knew  and  intensely 
dreaded.  She  explained  that  she,  Nathalie, 
acting  with  Val's  best  friends,  meant  to  rescue 
her  and  take  her  to  live  in  Virginia.  Na- 
thalie remembered  how  Val  had  learned  from 
her  father  to  think  of  Virginia  as  a  promised 
land.  She  instructed  Val  to  slip  out  of  the 
convent  grounds  in  any  way  she  could  and 
on  #ny  day  she  could;  that  a  carriage,  with 
Nathalie  in  it,  would  await  her  at  a  point 
designated,  a  short  distance  from  the  convent 
gates. 

Nathalie  patiently  waited  there  in  the  car- 
riage from  ten  till  five  every  day  for  many 
days.  Then  at  last  Val  managed  to  slip  out 
and  join  her.  You  know  the  rest  of  that 
story. 


398   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Now  Eulalie  Lee,  instigated  I  suppose  by 
her  tenor  companion,  though  I  know  nothing 
about  that,  is  trying  either  to  recover  Val  and 
exploit  her,  or  to  extort  money  from  us.  She 
must  know  that  she  can't  get  Val,  but  she  and 
her  rascally  lawyers  think  they  may  succeed 
in  extorting  money.  They  tried  the  game 
with  you  first,  Uncle  Butler,  and  you  seem 
to  have  frightened  them  off.  Now  they  are 
trying  to  scare  money  out  of  me.  They  have 
written  to  me  twice,  and  if  you  wish  I'll  read 
their  letters. 

[After  reading  the  communications,  Phil 
finished  in  few  words.] 

"  I'm  going  to  town  to-morrow  to  explain 
the  case  to  my  lawyers.  I  think  they'll  know 
how  to  put  an  end  to  the  annoyance." 


XLII 

WHEN   Phil  had  finished  his  story, 
Colonel  Shenstone  said  to  him : 
"  I   have   been   greatly   interested, 
Phil,  and  I  have  a  general  conviction  that  those 
fellows  can't  seriously  annoy  you.     But  since 
this  last  illness  I  find  it  difficult  to  grasp  and 
remember  all  the  details  of  such  a  case.     I 
think  you  said  you  had  engaged  a  lawyer." 

"  Yes,  I  felt  that  in  your  weakened  condi- 
tion, Uncle,  you  ought  not  to  be  bothered,  so 
I  have  retained  an  attorney  in  Richmond.  I 
hope  you  do  not  think  — " 

"Oh,  not  at  all.  I'm  glad  of  that.  But 
you'd  better  see  your  counsel  to-morrow.  I 
think  I'll  go  to  bed  now.  I've  been  up  most 
of  the  day,  and  I'm  tired." 

Valorie  summoned  his  servant  and  herself 
made  preliminary  arrangements  for  her  uncle's 
comfort.     As  she  did  so  she  observed  certain 
399 


400  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

manifestations  of  weakness  or  something  else 
on  his  part,  which  she  had  never  seen  before. 
Especially  she  observed  the  uncertainty  of  his 
motions.  He  would  miss  objects  which  he  at- 
tempted to  touch  with  his  hands,  and  his  hands 
trembled  more  than  she  had  ever  known  them 
to  do  before.  When  he  walked  he  seemed 
about  to  fall  and  had  to  hurry,  almost  to  run, 
in  order  to  keep  his  feet  under  his  person. 

"  Sit  down  here,  Uncle  Butler,"  the  girl 
said,  gently  forcing  him  into  an  easy  chair. 
"  You  are  not  to  try  to  unbutton  your  collar 
or  do  anything  else  for  yourself.  Henry  will 
undress  you.  You're  very  tired.  There! 
Now  Henry  has  your  slippers  off,  and  he'll  do 
all  the  rest.  I'll  send  Mr.  Phil  in  here  to 
superintend  and  to  help  lift  you  into  bed. 
He's  so  strong,  you  know,  and  so  gentle." 

The  old  man  laid  his  hand  upon  hers,  as  if 
to  detain  her. 

"  You  are  a  dear  Little  Minx,"  he  said. 
"  You  won't  go  away,  will  you,  Little  Minx  ?  " 

"  No,  Uncle  Butler.  I'll  always  be  within 
call  when  you  want  me." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    401 

"  You  won't  go  away  with  —  who  is  it  ? 
That  woman,  I  mean  ?  " 

"  Never,  Uncle,  never,  never,  never." 

"Thank  you.  Good  night  Little  Minx. 
You're  so  good  to  me ! " 

Valorie  was  too  much  alarmed  for  tears. 
She  asked  Phil  to  go  to  his  uncle's  assistance, 
and  then  sought  Greg  Tazewell.  Telling  him 
what  she  had  observed,  she  begged  him  to  tell 
her  what  it  meant. 

"  Feebleness,  mainly,"  he  replied  evasively. 

"What  else?"  she  demanded.  "You  are 
keeping  something  back." 

"  That  is  hardly  a  just  charge,"  he  an- 
swered. "  If  I  reserved  anything  it  was  only 
a  fear,  and  not  anything  that  I  know." 

"  Tell  me,  please." 

"  It  isn't  easy  to  say  just  what  I  think, 
because  there  are  uncertainties  to  be  allowed 
for.  But  Colonel  Shenstone  has  aged  very 
rapidly  since  last  summer.  He  is  in  effect  a 
much  older  man  than  the  number  of  his  years 
would  indicate.  He  is  only  seventy  or  sev- 
enty-one, I  believe,  and  a  year  ago  he  seemed 


402   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

much  younger  even  than  that.  But  his  present 
physical  condition  is  that  of  a  much  older 
man.  I  had  already  observed  the  tendency 
you  speak  of,  the  involuntary  impulse  to  run 
when  he  attempts  to  walk.  That,  taken  in 
connection  with  the  tremor  of  his  hands,  in- 
dicates a  condition  which  we  call  festination, 
or  hurrying." 

"  Is  there  nothing  to  be  done  for  it  ?  " 
"  No.  It  is  a  symptom  of  trouble  with  the 
blood  circulation  in  the  brain.  The  difficulty 
he  spoke  of  in  the  matter  of  grasping  details 
and  remembering  them  is  another  indication  of 
the  same  sort.  There  is  no  remedy  either  for 
these  things  or  for  the  condition  of  which  they 
are  merely  symptoms.  There  is  nothing  to  be 
done  but  watch  him,  keep  him  comfortable  and 
have  his  servant  always  by  his  side  when  he  is 
on  his  feet.  He  might  fall,  you  know.  I've 
already  told  Henry  what  he  is  to  do  in  that  re- 
spect. As  Phil  really  must  go  to  town  in  the 
morning  I  think  I'll  ride  over  early  and  remain 
here  during  the  day." 

Valorie    choked   back   the   lump   that   had 
formed  in  her  throat,  and  asked: 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  403 

"  Dr.  Tazewell,  is  Uncle  Butler  going  to 
die  ?  Is  that  what  you  mean  ?  " 

"  No,  Miss  Valorie.  I  do  not  think  he  is 
going  to  die  at  present, —  probably  not  for 
a  long  time  to  come.  Indeed  I  expect  pres- 
ently to  see  him  much  better  than  he  is  now. 
But  just  now  it  is  desirable  to  watch  him 
closely,  to  protect  him  against  all  excitement, 
and  to  keep  his  surroundings  as  peaceful  as 
possible.  In  the  immediate  present,  too,  there 
are  possibilities  to  be  considered  and  to  be 
prepared  for.  One  of  these  is  the  possibility 
of  a  brain  hemorrhage.  Should  that  happen 
—  as  I  sincerely  hope  it  may  not  —  it  would 
be  necessary  to  have  a  strong  man  present, 
other  than  the  servants  and  more  intelligent. 
Perhaps  I  am  unduly  cautious.  But  I  think 
I  had  better  be  here  whenever  Phil  is  not." 

Valorie  was  deeply  moved,  and  without 
another  word  she  passed  up  the  stairs,  and 
Greg  rode  away. 

It  was  after  supper  that  Valorie  met  Phil 
Shenstone  alone  for  the  first  time  after  the 
completion  of  his  narrative.  With  less  of 
reserve  than  she  had  shown  toward  him  at  any 


404  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

time  since  his  return  to  Virginia,  and  indeed 
with  a  good  deal  of  the  old  frank  cordiality, 
she  said  to  him: 

"  Mr.  Phil,  you  can't  think  how  I  thank 
you ! " 

"For  what,  Val?" 

"  For  loving  my  father  and  honoring  and 
defending  his  memory.  You'd  know  what  I 
mean  if  you  knew  what  that  woman  —  that 
vampire  —  told  me  about  him.  Mr.  Phil  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Valorie." 

"  Won't  you  tell  me  about  the  tombstone  ? 
I  want  to  know  what  it  is  like,  so  that  I  may 
picture  it  in  my  mind.  Some  day  I'm  going 
out  there  to  see  it  for  myself,  and  to  place 
some  flowers  on  it.  But  describe  it  to  me 
now,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Fortunately  I  can  do  better  than  that,  Val. 
I  have  the  architect's  drawing  of  it  in  one  of 
my  trunks.  If  you'll  wait  a  little  while  I'll 
bring  it  to  you." 

The  girl  clapped  her  hands  in  glee,  as  any 
ten-year-old  child  might  have  done,  for  joy 
and  sorrow,  grief  and  gladness  lay  always 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   405 

close  together  in  her  strangely  sincere  and 
sympathetic  soul. 

"  The  child  and  the  woman  are  curiously 
blended  in  her  nature,"  Phil  reflected  as  he 
mounted  the  stairs.  "  God  grant  that  noth- 
ing may  ever  happen  to  make  it  otherwise." 

For  the  next  hour  the  two  sat  together, 
Valorie  studying  the  beautifully  simple  pro- 
portions of  the  shaft,  and  questioning  him 
minutely  concerning  it.  The  inscription  carved 
upon  the  granite  was  written  below  the  draw- 
ing, and  Valorie  knew  it  by  heart  when  she 
handed  the  sheet  back  to  him. 

"  You  may  keep  it  if  you  like,"  he  said. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Phil." 


XLIII 

THE  next  day  Phil  fully  laid  the  facts 
of  his  case  before  Colonel  Minor,  his 
counsel.     After  asking  all  the  ques- 
tions that  seemed  to  him  necessary  concerning 
the  abduction,  Colonel  Minor  sat  musing  for 
awhile.     Phil,  impatient  to  know  his  opinion, 
asked : 

"  Have  Stone  &  Maxey  been  to  see  you 
about  this?" 

"  No,  and  I  don't  think  they  will  come. 
On  such  a  state  of  facts  they  must  know  they 
haven't  any  case  against  you.  They  have 
tried  to  scare  a  settlement  out  of  you  and  they 
have  failed.  They  were  trading  upon  the 
fact  that  you  were  a  layman  in  the  law,  and 
they  will  hardly  try  anything  of  that  kind  on 
me  or  my  partner  Guigon.  Still  there's  one 
possibility  that  we  mustn't  overlook." 

"What  is  that?" 

406 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    407 

"  Why,  that  they  don't  really  know  the 
facts.  That  woman  may  have  colored  them 
or  she  may  have  misstated  them,  or  withheld 
vital  details.  Designing  women  often  do  that, 
you  know,  even  with  their  own  lawyers." 

"  But  that  is  a  foolish  thing  to  do !  " 

"  Of  course  it  is,  but  it  is  often  done.  You 
see,  the  lawyers  in  this  case  persist  in  speaking 
of  Miss  Page  as  this  woman's  daughter.  It 
is  not  unlikely  that  their  client  has  told  them 
so  and  sticks  to  it.  If  it  were  true  it  would 
make  all  the  difference  imaginable." 

"  How  so  ?  It  wouldn't  enable  them  to 
prove  that  I  kidnapped  the  young  woman." 

"  No,  but  it  might  enable  them  to  give  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  on  Miss  Page's  account. 
You  see,  if  she  were  really  Mrs.  Lee's  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Lee  would  be  entitled  to  her  guard- 
ianship, and  in  order  to  deprive  her  of  that 
right  we  should  have  to  prove  affirmatively 
that  she  is  a  woman  of  bad  character,  unfit 
to  have  custody  of  her  own  child.  However, 
you  say  you  can  prove  that  she  is  not  the 
mother?  " 

"Yes,  easily.     Miss  Page  has  the  certifi- 


4o8   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

cates  of  both  her  father's  marriages  and  of 
her  own  birth.  I  procured  the  latter  in  official 
form  from  New  Orleans.  I  thought  it  might 
be  needed." 

"  That  was  very  wise.  Unless  the  woman 
has  been  deceiving  Stone  &  Maxey  —  and 
they  are  not  persons  whom  I  should  think  it 
easy  to  deceive  —  they  will  take  no  further 
steps  looking  to  your  prosecution.  Indeed,  I 
think  we  may  dismiss  that  as  a  thing  settled. 
But  if  she  has  deceived  them  and  still  claims 
to  be  Miss  Page's  mother,  they  may  give  us 
some  trouble  on  the  young  lady's  account. 
Has  anybody  ever  been  appointed  her  guard- 
ian?" 

"  Not  within  my  knowledge." 

"  How  much  does  her  interest  in  your 
steamboat  enterprises  amount  to?" 

"  About  thirty  thousand  dollars  now  —  it 
has  doubled  within  a  year." 

"  Is  it  in  the  form  of  stock  certificates  ?  " 

"  No,  we  aren't  a  corporation." 

"  That's  rather  a  pity.  Still  we  may  be 
able  to  do  something.  Do  you  know  anybody 
who  would  buy  her  interest  for  cash  ?  " 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    409 

"  I'd  do  it  myself,"  Phil  answered,  "  but 
for  the  fact  that  it  is  earning  more  as  it  is 
than  the  cash  would  earn,  and  I  am  planning 
things  that  will  double  it  again  within  a  year. 
It  would  be  a  pity  to  have  her  lose  that 
prospect.  However,  I  can  arrange  that.  I 
might  buy  her  interest  and  then,  when  she 
comes  of  age,  sell  it  back  to  her,  as  of  this 
date,  with  its  share  of  the  increase  added. 
But  why  do  you  think  this  necessary  ?  " 

"  Why  simply  because  Miss  Page  has  only 
a  residence  in  Virginia.  If  she  had  prop- 
erty within  this  state,  I  would  advise  that  she 
select  a  guardian  —  yourself  or  someone  else. 
She  would  then  be  under  the  care  of  the 
chancery  court,  and  that  court  would  not  per- 
mit anybody  to  remove  her  from  the  state  or 
to  assume  custody  of  her  person  except  by  its 
own  decree  upon  a  satisfactory  showing  of 
necessity." 

"  Then  if  she  had  property  in  this  state,  you 
could  create  a  situation  which  would  com- 
pletely free  her  from  the  possibility  of  annoy- 
ance?" 

"  Yes  —  easily  and  certainly." 


410   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Very  well.  She  shall  have  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  Virginia  Sixes  in  the  Farmers' 
Bank  of  Virginia  before  nightfall.  And  when 
she  comes  of  age  she  shall  have  a  sum 
sufficient  to  make  good  the  loss  involved  to 
her  and  the  gain  to  me  by  reason  of  the  with- 
drawal of  her  steamboat  investments. 

"  The  bonds  will  be  in  the  bank  to  her 
credit  at  the  opening  of  business  to-morrow 
morning.  Please  institute  the  necessary  pro- 
ceedings in  the  guardianship  matter  at  once. 
Is  there  any  thing  for  her  or  for  me  to  do  ?  " 

"  Not  much.  She  will  be  summoned  to  the 
circuit  court  in  your  county  —  it  is  sitting 
now  —  and  asked  to  choose  a  guardian  for 
herself.  The  person  chosen  should  be  present, 
prepared  to  execute  the  required  bond,  though 
that  is  not  necessary.  That  is  all." 

Phil  Shenstone  was  accustomed  to  Western 
ways  of  business.  It  was  his  habit,  when  his 
mind  was  made  up  as  to  what  he  wanted  to 
do,  to  do  it  out  of  hand.  When  he  left  the 
lawyer's  office  he  went  at  once  to  his  bank, 
inquired  the  amount  of  his  balance,  drew  upon 
his  bankers  at  the  West  for  the  additional 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   411 

sum  needed,  and  had  the  amount  placed  to  his 
credit.  Then  he  opened  negotiations  for  the 
Virginia  Sixes,  purchased  them  and  placed 
them  in  the  vaults  of  the  Farmers'  Bank  of 
Virginia  in  a  box  marked  with  Valerie's 
name,  and  subject  to  her  order. 

This  done  he  mounted  and  rode  to  Wood- 
lands, where  he  arrived  just  in  time  for  the 
four  o'clock  dinner. 

Greg  Tazewell  rode  away  almost  imme- 
diately after  dinner,  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
gone,  Phil  secured  audience  with  Valorie. 

"  Val,"  he  said,  "  I've  bought  out  all  your 
steamboat  interests,  and  invested  the  money 
for  you  in  Virginia  six  per  cent,  bonds.  The 
bonds  are  in  the  Farmers'  Bank  of  Virginia 
for  safekeeping.  They  have  a  face  value  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  but  they  could  be  sold 
for  more  than  that,  as  they  are  at  a  premium." 

"What  a  lot  of  money,  Mr.  Phil,"  ex- 
claimed the  girl.  "  I  hope  it  didn't  embar- 
rass you  to  —  well,  to  do  whatever  you  had 
to  do  in  arranging  it." 

"  Not  at  all.  You  see,  a  man  who  owns 
many  steamboats  must  always  keep  a  pretty 


412   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

large  sum  of  money  in  bank  where  he  can  put 
his  hand  on  it  at  a  moment's  notice." 

"Why  is  that,  Mr.  Phil?" 

"  Oh,  for  several  reasons.  He  may  sud- 
denly have  to  buy  a  steamboat,  or  one  of  his 
boats  may  burn  or  sink  or  any  one  of  a  dozen 
other  things  may  happen  which  make  it  nec- 
essary for  him  to  have  a  good  deal  of  ready 
money.  So  I  always  keep  good  balances  in 
Cincinnati,  Louisville,  St.  Louis  and  New  Or- 
leans. When  I  found  it  necessary  to-day  to 
buy  out  your  interests  I  had  only  to  make  a 
draught  upon  one  of  my  bank  accounts,  for 
the  necessary  money." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  she  said,  "  I'm  glad  it  didn't 
bother  you." 

"  I  hope  you  sanction  the  transaction? "  he 
said. 

"  Why,  of  course.  You  know  all  about 
such  things,  and  whatever  you  do  is  right." 

"  You  are  a  strange  girl,  Val." 

"In  what  way,  Mr.  Phil?" 

"  Any  other  woman  would  have  wanted  to 
know  all  about  this  thing,  and  why  I  did  it, 
and  a  score  of  other  things,  while  you  ask  no 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    413 

more  questions  about  it  than  you  would  if  I 
had  told  you  I  had  bought  you  a  box  of 
candy." 

"  Why  should  I  ?  "  she  asked.  "  My  father 
placed  his  money  in  your  hands  and  told  you 
to  manage  it  for  me,  didn't  he  ?  " 

"Yes,  but—" 

"Well,  then  why  should  I  question  you 
about  how  you  manage  it?  That  would  be  a 
reflection  upon  both  my  father  and  you." 

"  But  what  if  I  want  to  tell  you  about  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  are  to  tell  me  whatever  you  like, 
of  course.  That's  quite  different." 

"  Very  well.  I  did  this  under  the  advice  of 
my  lawyer,  Colonel  Minor,  by  way  of  putting 
an  end  to  the  pestilent  activity  of  the  woman 
you  called  a  vampire,  and  her  disreputable 
lawyers." 

"  You  don't  mean  you  have  paid  them  any 
money,  or  are  to  pay  them  any  ?  "  The  ques- 
tion was  asked  in  an  indignant  tone. 

"  Not  a  cent,"  he  replied.  "  I'd  go  to  jail 
rather  than  do  that.  But  Colonel  Minor  ad- 
vises me  that  if  you  own  property  of  any  kind 
in  Virginia  and  are  living  here,  the  court  will 


414  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

appoint  a  guardian  for  you,  who  will  have 
control  of  your  affairs  until  you  come  of  age. 
So  I  have  converted  your  steamboat  property 
into  State  bonds.  Presently  you  will  be  asked 
to  go  to  the  court  and  choose  a  guardian." 

"  That  will  be  you,  of  course,  Mr.  Phil." 

"  I  think  not.  You  see,  Val,  I'm  getting 
Mrs.  Spottswood's  affairs  into  good  shape 
now,  and  as  soon  as  you  have  a  guardian  ap- 
pointed my  work  in  Virginia  will  be  done.  I 
am  going  West  then,  to  carry  out  some  large 
plans  I  have  formed." 

Valerie's  face  clouded,  not  with  anger,  but 
with  disappointment.  He  was  not  looking  at 
her  at  the  moment,  and  so  he  did  not  see  the 
expression,  but  went  on  to  say : 

"  And  anyhow,  it  will  be  better  to  have 
Greg  in  the  place." 

"Am  I  free  to  choose?"  she  asked  coldly, 
and  making  no  other  response  to  his  sugges- 
tion. 

"  Yes,  entirely  so." 

"  Then  as  you  decline  to  serve,  I'm  going  to 
write  to  Judge  Albemarle  and  ask  him  to  be 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    415 

my  guardian.  I  don't  want  to  be  under  obli- 
gations of  any  kind  to  Dr.  Tazewell." 

Without  waiting  for  his  reply  she  glided 
into  the  house,  going  at  once  to  Colonel  Shen- 
stone's  chamber. 

Phil  was  doubly  puzzled.  The  tone  in 
which  she  had  spoken  of  his  having  "  de- 
clined "  to  serve,  was  an  injured  one,  and 
he  could  in  no  wise  guess  why  it  should  be  so. 
Still  more  puzzling  was  her  prompt  refusal  to 
have  Greg  Tazewell  for  her  guardian,  and  her 
curious  explanation  that  she  did  not  wish  to  be 
under  obligation  to  him.  Phil  gave  up  the 
riddle  presently,  and  dismissed  the  matter  from 
his  mind  as  "  only  one  more  inscrutable  mani- 
festation of  the  feminine  character." 

When  he  met  her  at  supper  she  seemed  pre- 
occupied and  not  quite  happy  he  thought.  But 
she  entered  freely  into  such  conversation  as 
arose  between  the  two.  Valorie  might  be  an- 
gry, or  hurt  in  her  sensibilities,  but  she  was 
never  sulky. 


XLIV 

JUDGE  ALBEMARLE  was  at  breakfast 
when  he  received  Valerie's  letter  asking 
him  to  act  as  her  guardian.    He  read  the 
missive  twice,  with  curiosity.     Then  he  passed 
it  to  Mrs.  Albemarle,  saying :     "  See  if  you 
can  make  out  what  it  means,  Mattie." 
She  read  the  lines  as  follows : 

"  I  wonder  if  your  being  a  judge  will:  pre- 
vent you  from  doing  me  a  favor?  Or  is  it 
contempt  of  court  for  me  to  ask  such  a  thing  ? 
It  seems  I  must  have  a  guardian.  I'm  sure  I 
often  think  I  need  one,  but  that  is  only  when 
I  do  very  foolish  things,  and  I  can't  think  of 
anything  very  foolish  that  I've  been  doing 
lately.  Still,  Mr.  Phil's  lawyers  have  decided 
that  I  must  have  a  guardian  and  I  suppose  I 
must.  I  want  you  to  be  that  for  me  if  you 
will.  You  aren't  my  first  choice,  of  course. 
My  father  left  all  his  money  in  Mr.  Phil's 
416 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   417 

hands  and  he  has  taken  care  of  it  for  me  till 
now.  I  asked  him  to  be  my  guardian  and  go 
on  taking  care  of  it,  but  he  can't,  because  he  is 
going  away  to  the  West  again  and  doesn't 
mean  to  come  back  ever.  So  I've  decided  to 
ask  you  to  do  it  for  me.  Will  you  ?  " 

Mrs.  Albemarle  made  no  effort  to  explain 
the  matter.  Instead  she  said: 

"Jack,  I  must  see  Phil  Shenstone  immedi- 
ately. I'll  send  him  a  note  after  breakfast. 
You'll  write  to  Valorie  and  tell  her  you'll 
serve,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  Ordinary  gallantry  requires 
that;  but  I  can't  imagine  what  it  all  means." 

"  It  means  that  somebody  has  been  more 
than  ordinarily  stupid.  I'll  tell  you  all  about 
it  after  I  have  seen  Phil." 

When  she  had  finished  her  breakfast  she 
kept  her  promise  of  writing  to  Phil.  Her  let- 
ter was  a  thoroughly  diplomatic  one,  effectu- 
ally concealing  the  purpose  with  which  it  was 
written.  It  contained  no  reference  to  Valorie 
or  Valorie's  affairs,  and  it  made  no  mention 
of  her  letter  to  Judge  Albemarle. 


418   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  I  want  to  see  you,  Phil,  at  the  earliest  time 
you  can  make  it  convenient  to  come  to  me. 
Indeed  I  must  see  you,  about  some  perplexing 
things  I  have  on  my  mind.  I  want  to  consult 
with  you.  You  see,  Jack  is  of  no  account  in 
such  things.  His  head  is  too  full  of  '  prece- 
dents '  and  '  rulings  '  and  '  statutes,  in  that  case 
made  and  provided.'  So  come  to  me,  please, 
as  soon  as  you  can.  You  needn't  mind  about 
the  '  customary  hours  of  calling '  or  anything 
of  that  kind." 

In  the  postscript  she  said : 

"  I  suppose  you're  madly  in  love  with  Edna 
Spottswood  by  this  time.  I'm  rather  sorry  for 
that,  for  a  young  man  in  love  with  a  girl  who 
lives  out  of  town  is  of  no  account  socially,  and 
I'm  planning  a  lot  of  things  for  this  spring." 

In  the  restlessness  that  afflicted  him  at  that 
time,  Phil  welcomed  the  prospect  of  the  diver- 
sion which  a  response  to  this  invitation  prom- 
ised, and  he  would  have  set  off  for  Richmond 
at  once  if  that  had  been  permitted.  But  Col- 
onel Minor  had  hastened  matters.  The  court 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    419 

was  in  session  for  the  county  in  which  Wood- 
lands lay,  and  when  it  should  adjourn  it 
would  not  meet  again  for  several  months. 
Accordingly  Colonel  Minor  sent  a  note  to  Phil 
asking  him  to  have  Valorie  at  the  Court 
House,  a  few  miles  from  Woodlands,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  day  on  which  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle's  letter  was  received. 

Phil  escorted  her  to  the  county  seat  of  course, 
where  the  business  was  quickly  adjusted,  but 
it  was  nearly  nightfall  when  the  returning  car- 
riage reached  Woodlands.  Phil  must  there- 
fore delay  his  visit  until  the  morrow. 

Colonel  Shenstone  was  particularly  bright 
and  cheerful  that  evening.  He  was  rejoicing 
that  Valorie  was  now  safe  from  further  an- 
noyance, and  in  his  satisfaction  he  insisted  that 
his  "  Little  Minx  "  should  sit  by  his  easy  chair 
in  the  chamber  and  talk  to  him  gently.  He 
dismissed  Phil  as  a  superfluous  person  on  that 
occasion,  saying :  "  Amuse  yourself,  my  boy, 
in  any  way  you  please.  I  just  want  my  Little 
Minx  with  me  and  nobody  else." 

The  old  man  and  the  young  woman  talked 
long  and  lovingly  together  with  nothing  to  in- 


420   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

terfere,  for  Valorie  was  too  perfectly  mistress 
of  herself  to  let  him  see  the  shadow  that  had 
rested  upon  her  spirit  ever  since  Phil  had  so 
unemotionally  told  her  of  his  purpose  to  go 
away. 

Phil  meanwhile  sat  in  his  room,  with 
plans,  estimates  and  other  papers  spread  upon 
the  table  before  him.  For  now  that  Valorie 
was  safe  and  Mrs.  Spottswood's  affairs  in  the 
hands  of  capable  lawyers,  he  meant  to  quit 
the  scene  of  his  disappointment  almost  imme- 
diately. He  wanted  to  perfect  his  plans  so 
that  he  might  be  ready  for  action  the  moment 
he  should  reach  the  West. 

"  Besides,"  he  reflected,  "  I'm  not  very  good 
company  for  myself  just  now.  I  need  distrac- 
tion, and  work  over  my  plans  will  keep  me 
from  thinking  too  much." 

When  he  rose  next  morning  the  young  man 
dressed  himself  in  riding  costume,  meaning  to 
set  out  for  Richmond  immediately  after  break- 
fast, and  return  in  time  for  supper. 

As  he  and  Valorie  sat  at  breakfast,  Colonel 
Shenstone,  walking  very  unsteadily  and  sup- 
ported by  his  servant,  entered  the  room.  It 


OH,  UNCLE  BUTLER,  WHAT  is  THE  MATTER?"  —  Page  421. 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    421 

was  his  custom,  now  that  he  seemed  to  be 
growing  stronger  again,  to  take  his  meals  at 
table  with  the  others,  and  so  his  coming  did 
not  surprise  Phil  or  Valorie.  But  as  Valorie 
looked  up  to  greet  him  she  exclaimed  with 
alarm  and  distress  in  her  voice  : 

"Oh,  Uncle  Butler,  what  is  the  matter! 
What  has  happened  ?  " 

Shuffling  into  his  chair,  he  tried  to  answer, 
"  Nothing,"  but  the  word  was  uttered  thickly 
and  with  difficulty,  while  his  face  was  strangely 
distorted.  One  eye  drooped  until  it  was  well 
nigh  closed,  and  one  side  of  his  mouth  sagged 
as  if  its  muscles  had  been  paralyzed.  One  arm 
hung  limp  and  useless,  and  one  leg  was  under 
scarcely  better  control.  When  seated  he  man- 
ifested a  tendency  to  fall  over  sideways,  so 
that  it  was  necessary  for  his  servant  to  sup- 
port him. 

Phil  guessed  at  once  what  was  the  matter, 
and  he  gave  his  orders  promptly.  To  the  din- 
ing-room servant  he  said : 

"  Send  Dick  for  Dr.  Tazewell  at  once.  Tell 
him  to  ride  my  horse  and  to  push  him  every 
inch  of  the  way." 


422    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

Then  to  Colonel  Shenstone's  body  servant 
he  said : 

"  Help  me  get  him  back  to  bed ;"  and  to 
Valorie,  who  was  ordering  hot  water,  mustard 
and  everything  else  she  could  think  of,  he 
said: 

"  Never  mind  things  of  that  sort,  Val. 
There  is  nothing  whatever  to  be  done  till  Greg 
comes,  except  put  him  to  bed,  and  there  is  no 
immediate  danger,  dear !  " 

Even  in  her  distress  she  observed  the  un- 
accustomed term  of  endearment.  As  matters 
stood  between  her  and  Phil  she  would  have 
been  more  or  less  than  a  woman  if  she  had 
not. 

"  But  can't  we  soothe  his  pain?  "  she  asked. 

"  He  has  no  pain,  I  think." 

The  old  man  confirmed  this  assurance,  say- 
ing with  difficulty  — "  No  pain,  Little  Minx, — 
no  pain." 

"  Thank  God  for  that  much ! "  she  ex- 
claimed, and  she  waited  anxiously  for  Phil  to 
come  out  of  the  chamber  again.  When  he 
did  so  she  asked  with  strained  face  and  falter- 
ing voice: 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   423 

"What  is  it,  Mr.  Phil?  Tell  me,  tell  me, 
tell  me." 

"  A  stroke  of  some  kind,"  he  answered,  "  a 
cerebral  hemorrhage,  I  think.  It  is  what  is 
called  apoplexy,  if  I  am  not  mistaken.  Greg 
will  know,  and  he  will  be  here  within  the  hour. 
When  he  sees  that  Dick  is  riding  my  horse, 
he'll  know  the  call  is  a  hurried  one  and  he'll 
ride  hard,  you  may  be  sure." 

In  his  thought  he  added : 

"  I  wish  I  could  believe  his  coming  would 
do  any  good,"  but  he  did  not  utter  the  words. 

"  Are  you  sure  he  has  no  pain  ?  "  she  asked 
anxiously.  "  His  features  are  horribly  dis- 
torted." 

"  Yes,  I'm  sure  of  that,  Val.  Apoplexy 
tends  to  paralyze  the  sense  of  pain.  I  doubt 
that  he  would  feel  it  if  a  pin  were  thrust  into 
his  flesh  on  the  side  affected.  The  distortion 
of  his  features  is  due  simply  to  the  absence  of 
nervous  control  over  the  muscles,  I  think." 

Then,  with  a  loving  purpose  to  distract  the 
poor  girl's  mind  and  occupy  her  attention  un- 
til Greg  should  come,  he  said : 

"  I  wish  you'd  go  at  once,  Val,  and  write 


424    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

to  Mrs.  Albemarle  about  this.  He  was  her 
guardian  in  her  girlhood,  you  know,  and  she 
dearly  loves  him.  She  loves  you,  too,  and  will 
want  to  come  to  us  in  our  affliction.  Write  to 
her,  and  I'll  send  a  special  messenger  to  carry 
your  note  by  the  ten-thirty  train." 

He  intended  to  send  also  by  the  messenger, 
a  telegraphic  despatch  to  be  forwarded  from 
the  railroad  station,  but  he  wanted  Valorie  to 
write  the  letter  for  the  sake  of  the  relief  it 
would  give  her  to  do  so. 

Soon  after  she  completed  the  task,  Greg 
Tazewell  came.  When  he  came  out  of  the 
chamber  after  examining  his  patient,  he  con- 
firmed Phil's  conjecture  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
attack. 

In  answer  to  Valerie's  anxious  questions  he 
said : 

"  He  will  probably  recover  from  the  attack. 
There  is  a  blood  clot,  producing  pressure  on 
the  brain.  It  will,  in  all  likelihood,  be  slowly 
absorbed.  Meanwhile  he  will  suffer  no  pain. 
There  is  nothing  to  be  done  to  hasten  the  proc- 
ess of  absorption.  He  needs  no  medicine. 
We  can  only  keep  him  quiet,  and  if  he  recov- 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    425 

ers  sufficiently  to  walk  about,  his  servant  must 
be  always  by  his  side.  He  might  fall,  you 
know." 

He  did  not  say  to  Valorie  as  he  did  to  Phil 
when  they  two  were  alone : 

"  It  is  the  beginning  of  the  end,  you  know. 
He  will  probably  get  better  of  this  attack,  but 
another  and  a  severer  one  is  inevitable,  and  it 
may  come  at  any  moment.  When  it  does,  it 
will  probably  make  an  end  of  him  quickly." 


XLV 

MORE  for  the  satisfaction  of  Valorie 
than  because  of  any  need  of  his  pres- 
ence or  any  good  he  could  do,  Greg 
Tazewell  decided  to  remain  at  Woodlands  dur- 
ing most  of  the  day. 

In  the  late  afternoon  Mrs.  Albemarle  ar- 
rived, greatly  to  Valerie's  relief.  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle had  the  gift  of  cheering  others  and 
comforting  them,  in  a  very  unusual  measure, 
and  her  presence  was  almost  a  benediction  to 
the  younger  woman,  the  more  so  when  she 
announced  her  purpose  to  remain  at  Wood- 
lands until  Colonel  Shenstone  should  get  bet- 
ter of  the  attack.  Under  her  inspiration  the 
house  took  on  a  more  cheerful  aspect  than  it 
would  otherwise  have  done,  while  to  Valorie 
her  presence  afforded  a  very  much  needed 
companionship. 

Mrs.  Albemarle  said  nothing  to  Phil  about 
any  of  the  supposititious  concerns  she  had  pro- 
426 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    427 

fessed  to  have  on  her  mind,  but  Phil  easily 
explained  this  to  himself.  The  things  she  had 
wished  to  consult  him  about,  he  thought,  were 
matters  of  social  entertainment,  and  these  she 
very  naturally  put  aside  under  the  circum- 
stances. 

At  the  end  of  a  week,  Colonel  Shenstone's 
condition  was  so  far  improved  that  she  decided 
to  return  to  town  on  the  morrow.  During 
the  evening  she  managed  to  be  left  alone  with 
Phil  for  half  an  hour  or  so,  managing  also  to 
make  the  fact  seem  quite  accidental. 

"  Valorie  tells  me  you  think  of  going  to  the 
West  pretty  soon,  Phil,"  she  said  in  an  entirely 
casual  way,  as  if  merely  making  conversa- 
tion. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered.  "  Now  that  Val  is 
secure  against  annoyance  I  am  anxious  to  get 
back  to  my  work.  I'm  planning  some  large 
enterprises,  and  the  time  is  ripe  for  carrying 
them  out.  I'm  rather  impatient  to  get  away, 
and  but  for  my  uncle's  attack  I  should  be 
leaving  immediately.  As  it  is  I  shall  go  as 
soon  as  he  is  well  enough  for  me  to  leave 
him." 


428    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  So  you  really  think  he  is  going  to  get  well 
enough  for  that  ?  " 

"  I  sincerely  hope  so." 

"Does  Greg  encourage  that  hope?" 

"  Yes,  in  a  way." 

"  I  see, —  only  '  in  a  way  '  and  not  very 
confidently.  I've  talked  with  him,  and  I'm 
afraid  I  don't  quite  believe  he's  as  hopeful  as 
he  pretends.  Still  I  hope  it  will  prove  to  be 
so.  How  queer  it  was  in  Valorie  to  ask 
Jack  —  Judge  Albemarle,  I  should  say  —  to 
serve  as  her  guardian !  Wasn't  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  surprised  me  a  good  deal.  I 
thought  she  would  have  chosen  Greg  Taze- 
well  for  that  part,  in  view  of  the  circum- 
stances." 

"What  circumstances?  I  fear  I'm  dull, 
but  I  don't  understand." 

"  Why,  of  course  she  is  going  to  marry  him ; 
they're  betrothed." 

"Are  they?  I  hadn't  heard  of  that.  In- 
deed you  surprise  me  with  the  news.  I  should 
have  expected  Valorie  to  tell  me  of  such  a 
thing  as  that." 

"  I'm  surprised  that  neither  she  nor  Greg 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    429 

has  ever  spoken  to  me  about  it  either,"  he 
replied.  "  I've  been  expecting  to  be  taken  into 
their  confidence,  but  they  haven't  told  me, 
yet." 

"  Have  you  asked  either  of  them  about  it?  " 

"  No,  naturally  not.  It  would  have  been  an 
intrusion,  so  long  as  they  did  not  see  fit  to 
volunteer  the  information." 

Mrs.  Albemarle  rose  as  if  to  pass  from  the 
porch  into  the  house,  paused  a  moment,  stoop- 
ing to  pluck  an  early  blooming  flower  that 
grew  near  the  steps,  and  then  turning  her  face 
full  upon  him  said,  with  a  queer  smile  upon 
her  lips : 

"  Phil  Shenstone,  for  a  brainy  man  you  are 
most  interestingly  stupid!  But  men  always 
are  stupid  —  especially  brainy  men." 

Without  explanation  and  without  waiting 
for  a  reply,  the  clever  woman  retreated  into 
the  house  to  join  Valerie. 

Phil  resolved  at  once  to  "  have  this  thing 
out "  with  her,  to  seize  the  first  opportunity 
for  further  private  converse,  and  to  question 
her  closely  as  to  her  meaning.  But  in  so  plan- 
ning he  did  not  sufficiently  allow  for  Mrs.  Al- 


430   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

bemarle's  cleverness,  or  sufficiently  appreciate 
her  resolute  determination  that  he  should  have 
no  such  opportunity.  Without  seeming  to 
avoid  private  speech  with  him,  and  with  an 
artfulness  that  concealed  art,  she  so  managed 
as  to  see  him  only  in  the  presence  of  others 
during  that  evening  and  the  next  morning. 
She  had  said  all  she  intended  to  say,  all  that 
she  believed  she  could  say  without  disloyalty 
to  her  sex,  and  she  did  not  intend  to  submit  to 
any  questioning  on  the  subject. 

After  she  entered  her  carriage  next  morn- 
ing, and  just  as  the  driver  was  ready  to  give 
rein  to  the  horses,  Phil  thrust  his  head  into 
the  carriage  upon  some  pretense  of  adjusting 
the  lap  cloths,  and  said  hurriedly : 

"  Tell  me  what  you  meant  last  night." 

She  answered  quickly : 

"  It's  of  no  use.  There  never  was  a  man 
who  could  understand  what  a  woman  means. 
Drive  on  Frederick.  Good-bye,  Valorie." 

The  next  moment  she  was  whirled  away  by 
the  impatient  horses,  eager  to  stretch  their 
muscles  after  a  week  of  idleness  in  stable  and 
paddock. 


XLVI 

PHIL  SHENSTONE  was  puzzled. 
There  seemed  to  be  some  subtly  hid- 
den meaning,  something  suggestive  of 
a  hint,  in  her  words  —  both  those  spoken  the 
evening  before,  and  those  with  which  she  had 
taken  leave.  Still  more  was  there  a  sugges- 
tion of  that  kind  in  her  manner.  He  strolled 
about  the  plantation  for  an  hour  or  so  trying 
to  read  the  riddle.  The  trouble  was  that  in 
both  cases  the  words  were  open  to  two  con- 
structions. When  she  had  called  him  "stu- 
pid," she  might  have  referred  to  his  sensitive- 
ness about  intruding  upon  the  reserve  of  Greg 
and  Valorie,  or  she  might  have  meant  to  cast 
doubt  upon  the  accuracy  of  his  conviction  that 
they  two  were  betrothed.  Still  more  manifest 
was  the  equivocal  character  of  her  morning's 
reply  to  his  question  as  to  her  meaning, — 
"  there  never  was  a  man  who  could  under- 
431 


432    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

stand  what  a  woman  means."  Did  she  refer 
to  his  inability  to  understand  her  words  of  the 
night  before?  Or  did  she  mean  to  suggest 
that  perhaps  he  had  misinterpreted  Valorie's 
attitude  and  sentiment  toward  Greg  Tazewell  ? 

Question  the  matter  as  he  might,  he  could 
in  no  wise  interpret  the  oracular  sentences. 

Presently  an  illuminating  thought  arose  in 
his  mind. 

"Why  should  I  not  ask  Greg?  We  are 
gentlemen  and  we  are  friends.  Mrs.  Albe- 
marle's  words  and  manner  seem  to  suggest  a 
•possibility  that  I  have  mistaken  the  situation. 
In  my  mind  that  doubt  is  a  very  slender  one, 
but  still  it  is  a  doubt.  I  have  a  right  to  have 
it  resolved.  I  have  a  right  to  ask  Greg  to 
tell  me  frankly  what  the  facts  are,  and  he  is 
bound  to  tell  me.  I'll  do  that,  though  I  am 
convinced  that  I  know  the  facts  already.  Un- 
der the  circumstances  it  will  not  be  an  imperti- 
nence, and  he  cannot  so  regard  it." 

It  was  Phil's  habit  to  act  promptly  when  he 
had  once  decided  to  act  at  all.  He  quickened 
his  leisurely  stroll  into  a  brisk  walk,  and  when 
he  learned  from  Valorie  that  Greg  was  not  to 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    433 

visit  Woodlands  that  day  unless  summoned, 
he  ordered  his  horse,  saying  to  Valorie : 

"  I  feel  the  need  of  exercise.  Uncle  does 
not  need  me  this  morning  and  so  I  think  I 
shall  go  for  a  long  ride." 

His  horse  was  a  powerful  one,  and  fresh. 
His  own  impatience  grew  upon  him  as  he  rode, 
and  the  gait  he  chose  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  way  was  a  gallop. 

Greg  was  reading  in  the  porch  when  he  rode 
up.  He  rose  hastily  and  throwing  his  book 
aside  hurried  to  meet  his  friend,  asking  anx- 
iously : 

"  Is  Colonel  Shenstone  worse  ?  Has  he  had 
another  stroke  ?  " 

Phil  reassured  him  and  entered  the  porch 
with  him.  Impatient  as  he  was  to  reach  re- 
sults, he  was  determined  to  make  no  hasty  ap- 
proach to  the  subject  in  his  mind.  The  matter 
was  one  to  be  mentioned  only  with  dignity  and 
a  certain  deference.  Phil,  therefore,  permit- 
ted the  conversation  to  run  in  customary  chan- 
nels for  a  time.  He  spoke  of  Greg's  spring 
plowing,  which  he  had  observed  as  he  rode 
through  the  plantation.  He  asked  about  a 


434    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

clearing  of  new  grounds  which  had  been  done 
during  the  winter,  and  talked  of  such  other 
commonplace  subjects  as  suggested  themselves 
to  his  mind. 

After  awhile  he  interrupted  all  this,  to  say : 

"  Greg,  you  and  I  are  friends.  We  are 
two  gentlemen  of  Virginia,  and  each  of  us 
perfectly  knows  that  the  other  could  not  be 
guilty  of  impertinent  intrusion.  But  there  are 
circumstances  which  may  warrant  either  in 
asking  ttie  other  a  question  which  ordinarily 
he  would  have  no  right  to  ask  and  indeed 
would  never  think  of  asking." 

"  My  dear  Phil,"  interrupted  the  other,  "  I 
can't  imagine  what  it  is  you  want  to  ask,  but 
I  give  you  the  fullest  leave  to  ask  it,  what- 
ever it  is.  I  promise  not  to  think  of  it  as 
intrusive  or  in  anyway  unwarranted.  What  is 
it?" 

"Thank  you,"  said  Phil.  "I  have  been 
wondering  why  you  and  Val  are  so  strangely 
reticent  with  me.  In  view  of  my  close  friend- 
ship for  both  of  you,  I  have  been  unable  to 
understand  why  neither  of  you  has  directly 
told  me  of  your  engagement." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA  435 

Greg  rose,  slowly  filled  a  pipe,  motioning 
Phil  to  do  the  same,  and  called  to  a  "  chap  " — 
as  a  young  negro  was  always  called  in  Vir- 
ginia —  to  bring  a  coal  of  fire,  before  reply- 
ing. Perhaps  he  needed  a  little  time  to  con- 
quer some  feeling.  At  last  he  said: 

"  The  explanation  is  very  simple,  Phil.  We 
have  not  told  you  of  our  engagement  because 
we  are  not  engaged." 

"Is  it  definitely  broken  off?" 

"  It  has  never  existed.  Listen,  Phil.  Just 
before  you  left  us  for  the  West  last  Fall,  I 
addressed  Valorie,  and  she  rejected  me  — 
gently,  in  the  kindest  way  possible,  but  very 
positively.  She  was  at  pains  even  to  warn 
me  never  to  approach  the  subject  again,  assur- 
ing me  that  her  decision  was  final.  I  supposed 
you  knew  of  her  rejection.  Everybody  else 
does.  I  suppose  your  going  away  so  soon 
afterwards  prevented  you  from  hearing  of  it, 
and  since  your  return  you've  been  too  con- 
stantly shut  up  at  Woodlands.  Besides,  peo- 
ple exhausted  the  subject  during  your  absence 
and  don't  talk  about  it  now,  I  reckon.  I 


436  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

should  have  told  you,  if  I  had  suspected  that 
you  did  not  know." 

"  Thank  you  for  telling  me  now.  You  do 
not  intend  to  renew  your  suit  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  Indeed  I  dare  not,  after 
what  she  said  to  me.  It  would  be  equivalent 
to  saying  I  doubted  her  sincerity  —  even  her 
veracity.  Besides  I  believe  I  have  pretty  thor- 
oughly conquered  myself  in  the  matter.  I 
have  no  desire  to  marry." 

"  You  are  speaking  with  entire  candor  — 
reserving  nothing?" 

"  On  my  word  of  honor,  Phil." 

Then,  as  if  after  all  the  subject  was  still 
one  that  he  preferred  not  to  talk  or  think  about 
too  much,  he  abruptly  changed  the  subject. 

"  Come  with  me  to  the  garden,  Phil.  It  is 
exceptionally  early  this  year." 

"  No,"  said  the  other,  "  I  think  I  must  ride. 
I'm  expected  at  Woodlands  to  dinner." 

"  But  you  can't.  I've  sent  your  horse  to 
the  stable,  and  you're  to  dine  with  me.  I 
have  dinner  at  three,  you  know,  and  to-day  I 
have  the  first  spring  lamb  and  the  first 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   437 

asparagus   served  in  this  county  this  year." 

There  was  a  note  of  pleading  insistence  in 
his  tone,  which  Phil  did  not  care  to  resist,  and 
so  the  two  friends  passed  the  hours  together, 
chiefly  in  looking  over  a  box  of  books  that 
Greg  had  just  received  from  New  York,  some 
of  them  rare  and  curious,  all  of  them  books  of 
value. 

"  It  is  my  one  extravagance,"  he  said,  "  and 
it  will  cost  me  a  good  deal  this  year,  for  I  find 
I  must  build  an  addition  to  the  library  wing 
of  the  house.  The  library  is  choked  and  over- 
flowing as  you  see." 

"  Tell  me  about  my  uncle,"  said  Phil,  after 
they  had  finished  the  books.  "  Isn't  he  going 
to  get  completely  well?  He  certainly  seems 
to  be  growing  stronger,  and  his  mind  is  clear- 
ing." 

"  He  is  gaining,  of  course,  and  he  will  con- 
tinue to  gain,  if  he  doesn't  have  another  stroke 
—  a  thing  that  may  happen  at  any  moment  or 
may  not  happen  for  months  or  years  to  come. 
But  he  will  never  be  the  man  he  was.  He  may 
get  well  enough  to  enjoy  life,  but  he  will  never 
take  an  active  part  in  it  again.  His  mind  is 


438    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

clearing,  as  you  say,  but  his  old  intellectual 
vigor  can  never  come  back  to  him." 

As  Shenstone  was  about  to  mount  for  the 
homeward  ride,  Tazewell  said: 

"I'm  glad  I've  had  you  to  dinner  to-day. 
There  may  not  be  another  chance.  I  shall 
probably  leave  for  France  pretty  soon, —  al- 
most any  day  in  fact." 

"Why  are  you  going  abroad  just  now, 
Greg?" 

"  Why,  you  know  I  have  accepted  an  in- 
vitation to  deliver  some  lectures  before  the 
Medical  School  there,  in  exposition  of  one  of 
my  appliances.  I  told  you  about  it  last  Fall, 
but  you've  doubtless  forgotten." 

"  But  you  told- me  afterwards  you  had  given 
it  up?" 

"  I  did  think  of  giving  it  up,  but  I've  recon- 
sidered. You  see  medical  science  is  rapidly 
advancing  over  there,  and  I  want  to  spend  a 
year  catching  up." 

Phil  believed  he  understood  more  than  his 
friend  had  told  him.  Perhaps  Greg  Tazewell 
had  not  so  completely  conquered  his  love  as  he 
tried  to  believe  that  he  had. 


XL  VI I 

IT  was  not  until  after  supper  that  Phil  had 
opportunity  of  intimate  speech  with  Va- 
lorie.  Meeting  her  in  the  hall  he  took  her 
hand  in  his  and  without  a  word,  led  her  out 
into  the  porch,  where  the  air  of  the  Virginia 
springtime  was  soft  and  warm,  and  redolent 
of  early  blooming  flowers. 

She  withdrew  her  hand  from  his,  as  they 
seated  themselves  upon  the  edge  of  the  porch. 
Phil  observed  the  act  of  shyness,  but  made  no 
effort  to  check  it.  He  held  his  own  love  for 
the  young  woman  by  his  side  in  too  reverent 
a  respect  to  think  of  trifles  in  connection  with 
it.  Matters  were  at  crisis  now,  and  nothing 
seemed  to  him  of  consequence  but  the  result. 

"  Val,"  he  began,  "  I  have  been  dining  with 
Greg  Tazewell  to-day,  and  he  has  told  me 
something  that  astonishes  me  very  much." 

He  paused  for  her  answer,  but  she  made 
439 


440   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

none.  During  the  moment  or  two  that  he 
waited  for  it,  he  quite  forgot  the  rest  of  the 
speech  he  had  formulated  in  his  mind  for  use 
on  this  occasion,  and  said  something  else  of  a 
more  definite  sort. 

"  You  know  I  love  you,  Val,  as  I  have  never 
loved  any  other  woman  —  as  I  can  never  love 
any  other.  You  must  have  known  it  for  a 
long  time." 

As  he  uttered  the  words  he  again  took  her 
hand  in  his,  and  this  time  she  did  not  with- 
draw it.  But  he  observed  that  it  trembled 
with  her  emotion. 

"  You  must  have  known  it  all  the  while, 
Val." 

"  You  never  told  me,"  she  said,  chokingly. 

"  There  were  good  reasons  for  that,"  he 
answered.  "  I'll  explain  it  presently.  But 
I  tell  you  now  that  I  love  you,  and  have  loved 
you  ever  since  that  June  morning  when  we 
drove  to  Woodlands  together,  and  you  showed 
me  the  beauty  of  your  soul  as  you  danced  by 
the  roadside  in  your  enjoyment  of  the  loveli- 
ness all  about  you.  Tell  me  that  you  love  me 
in  return.  Tell  me,  Val." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    441 

"  I  suppose  I  do  —  no  that  isn't  an  honest 
way  of  putting  it,  Phil,  and  I  want  to  be 
honest  with  you  always.  Yes,  I  love  you." 

At  this  point  there  was  a  brief  interruption 
of  speech,  but  as  his  arm  was  about  her  waist 
and  she  suffered  her  head  to  lie  upon  his  shoul- 
der after  he  had  drawn  it  there,  speech  seemed 
not  very  necessary. 

After  a  while,  in  answer  to  some  question 
that  arose  in  her  own  mind,  she  said : 

"  I  think  I  must  have  loved  you,  Phil,  ever 
since  that  June  morning  you  speak  of,  though 
I  didn't  know  it  then,  or  till  long  afterwards. 
It  was  then  that  you  began  being  good  to  me, 
tenderly  considerate,  and  you've  always  been 
that.  You  are  so  big  and  strong  and  so  gen- 
tle —  how  could  I  help  loving  you,  Phil  ?  But 
I've  tried  hard  not  to  love  you  —  very,  very 
hard." 

"But  why,  Val?" 

"  Because  I  didn't  think  you  loved  me,  and 
you  know  it  isn't  nice  for  a  girl  to  let  herself 
love  a  man  who  doesn't  love  her  first  —  if  she 
can  help  it.  I  have  been  very  sure  —  espe- 
cially since  you  came  back  from  the  West, 


442   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

that  you  didn't  want  me  to  love  you  —  except 
in  the  way  I  love  Uncle  Butler  and  the  mem- 
ory of  my  father.  It  has  troubled  me  very, 
very  much." 

She  did  not  say  what  it  was  that  had  trou- 
bled her  very,  very  much,  but  as  Phil  asked 
for  no  specifications  it  is  to  be  supposed  that 
he  understood. 

*  *  * 

*  *  * 

A  little  later  he  returned  to  his  former 
theme. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  all  about  things,  Val. 
Before  I  went  away  I  had  closely  observed 
you  and  Greg  together  — " 

"  That  was  when  I  was  quarreling  with  him 
for  his  cold-bloodedness  in  Jane's  case,"  she 
interrupted. 

"  Perhaps  so,  but  I  had  no  means  of  know- 
ing that  or  guessing  it.  I  was  firmly  con- 
vinced that  he  and  you  loved  each  other  and 
were  engaged.  That  is  why  I  went  away.  I 
flinched  from  the  prospect  of  hearing  the  truth 
from  you  or  from  him,  just  then.  I  wanted 
to  use  myself  to  it,  to  harden  myself  to  the 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    443 

thought  that  I  had  lost  you,  before  being  told 
about  it.  It  was  weak  in  me  and  cowardly,  I 
know  — " 

"  No,  not  that,"  she  said  with  emphasis ; 
"  Not  that,  not  cowardly." 

"  Thank  you.  When  I  returned  I  again 
observed  you  and  him  together  — " 

"  That  was  when  I  was  quarreling  with  him 
about  what  I  thought  was  his  neglect  of  Uncle 
Butler.  He  explained  it  at  last  and  we  made 
it  up.  If  it  had  been  anything  else,  I  should 
have  told  you." 

"  So  I  thought,  and  as  you  didn't  tell  me  I 
sometimes  felt  a  good  deal  hurt.  I  had  no 
sort  of  doubt  that  you  and  he  were  engaged, 
and  I  have  wondered  not  a  little  that  neither 
of  you  valued  my  friendship  enough  to  take 
me  into  your  confidence  in  a  matter  so  ten- 
derly touching  the  lives  of  both  of  you.  That 
is  why  I  have  been  planning  to  go  to  the  West 
again,  never  to  return." 

A  gentle  pressure  of  her  hand  was  her  only 
response. 

"  Not  until  this  morning  did  the  least  doubt 
arise  in  my  mind  as  to  the  truth  of  my  con- 


444   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

viction  that  you  and  he  were  engaged.  When 
it  did  arise  I  went  at  once  to  Greg,  an'd  as  one 
gentleman  of  Virginia  to  another,  asked  him 
to  tell  me  the  facts  of  the  case.  He  did  so, 
fully,  freely  and  generously.  But  why  had 
you  never  told  me,  Val,  that  he  had  addressed 
you  and  that  you  had  refused  him?  " 

"It  wouldn't  have  been  nice  in  me  to  talk 
of  that,"  she  answered.  "  Only  heartless  flirts 
go  about  boasting  of  their  '  conquests ' — 
how  I  detest  the  vulgar  phrase!  Greg  Taze- 
well  offered  me  the  love  of  an  honorable  man. 
I  could  not  accept  it,  but  I  respected  it  and  I 
respected  him." 

"  You  are  right,  of  course,  Val.  You  are 
always  right  in  your  feelings  —  always  true 
and  gentle  and  womanly." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,  though  I  try  hard 
to  be  what  you  say.  Oh,  Phil,  you  don't  know 
how  happy  I  am !  " 

"  I  think  I  do,"  he  said,  as  he  plucked  a 
spear  of  snow-white  hyacinth  on  which  a 
stream  of  light  from  a  windoyv  fell,  and  deftly 
fastened  it  in  her  hair. 

Long  before  these  two  quitted  the  porch  and 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    445 

passed  into  the  house,  the  servants  within  were 
wondering  why  they  sat  so  long  out  there  in 
the  night  air.  If  the  servitors  could  have  seen 
what  happened  as  the  two  bade  each  other 
good-night  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  perhaps 
the  wiser  ones  among  them  could  have  guessed, 
as  Mrs.  Albemarle  did  next  day  when  she  re- 
ceived a  note  from  Phil.  It  said  only : 

"  You   were   wrong.     A   man   does   some- 
times find  out  what  a  woman  means," 


XLVIII 

IT  was  Valerie's  custom  to  go  into  the 
garden  in  the  very  early  morning  to  start 
operations  there  and  to  superintend  the 
gathering  of  vegetables  for  the  day's  use  while 
the  dew  was  yet  on  them.  Phil,  of  course, 
was  at  the  stables  at  daylight  to  see  the  farm 
animals  fed  and  curried  for  the  day. 

On  the  morning  following  his  conference 
with  Valorie,  he  left  the  stables  about  sunrise, 
and  by  a  curious  coincidence  was  in  the  gar- 
den when  Valorie  got  there  —  a  thing  that 
had  not  happened  before. 

They  strolled  about  for  a  time  —  for  the 
gardeners  had  not  come  yet  —  and  then  seated 
themselves  in  a  circular  arbor  or  summer 
house,  which  was  closely  covered  with  yellow 
Jessamine  vines. 

"  Uncle  Butler  must  be  the  first  to  hear  our 
news,  Phil,"  said  Valorie,  "  and  if  you  don't 
446 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   447 

mind,   I   want   to   be  the  one  to   tell  him." 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  wish,  Val.  I  don't  care 
who  tells  such  news." 

"  But  you  know,  Phil,  it  can't  take  place 
for  a  long  time  yet." 

She  didn't  say  what  it  was  that  must  be 
thus  postponed,  and  perhaps  it  was  not  neces- 
sary. She  went  on  to  explain: 

"  You  know  I  once  told  you  I  would  never 
leave  Uncle  Butler,  and  I  meant  it.  It  can't 
take  place  till  he  is  well  and  strong  again." 

"  We'll  see  what  he  says  about  it,  Val,  but 
in  any  case,  everything  shall  be  as  you  wish." 

At  that  moment  the  head  gardener  appeared 
and  Valorie  set  to  work  at  her  morning's  tasks, 
Phil,  meanwhile,  busying  himself  with  the  col- 
lection of  a  bunch  of  flowers  for  her.  As  she 
took  them  from  his  hand,  one  delicate  blos- 
som attracted  her  attention.  After  studying 
it  for  an  instant,  she  said : 

"  Look,  Phil.  I  wonder  if  that  isn't  what 
Philip  James  Bailey  meant  when  he  wrote  in 
'  Festus  '  that  '  Her  cheek  had  the  pale,  pearly 
pink  of  sea-shells  —  nature's  sweetest  tint.'  " 

"  Perhaps  so,  but  he  spoiled  it  all  —  as  he 


448    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

often  spoiled  his  best  sentences,  by  adding 
something  at  once  forced  and  commonplace." 

"  Yes,  I  know  what  you  mean.  The  pas- 
sage goes  on :  '  She  looked  as  though  she 
lived,  one  half  might  deem,  on  roses  sopped  in 
silver  dew,'  and  that's  very  bad.  But  I  don't 
agree  with  you  that  it  spoils  the  other,  because 
one  can  just  think  of  the  other  by  itself.  I 
always  do  that  in  reading  '  Festus.'  Isn't  it 
a  glorious  morning!  "  As  she  spoke  she  saw 
that  the  gardener  had  passed  out  of  sight  be- 
hind some  shrubbery,  and  yielding  to  an  im- 
pulse born  of  the  morning  and  of  her  own  joy- 
ous mood,  she  executed  a  fragmentary  pas  seul 
on  the  smooth  surface  of  the  path. 

Phil  clapped  his  hands  in  applause. 

"  That's  the  way  you  danced  by  the  road- 
side on  that  most  glorious  of  all  June  morn- 
ings that  ever  dawned." 

"  Is  it  ?  I'm  glad.  I  feel  as  I  did  then, — 
only  ever  so  much  happier." 

A  moment  later,  she  said: 

"Oh,  Phil,  after  I've  told  Uncle  Butler 
about  it,  you  must  go  and  ask  him  if  we  may, 
you  know.  He  has  a  right  to  expect  that." 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    449 

"  Of  course.  I'll  go  to  him  the  moment  I 
hear  from  you  that  you've  told  him.  I'm  sub- 
ject to  orders  now,  you  know." 

"  Please  don't  joke,  Phil.  It  hurts  me.  It 
seems  —  well,  sacrilegious  —  almost  blasphe- 
mous." 

The  glee  with  which  the  old  gentleman  re- 
ceived the  news  was  cheering  to  behold. 

"  It  is  what  I  have  wanted  from  the  first," 
he  said,  "  but  lately  I  have  feared  it  might 
never  happen.  You  two  seemed  to  be  draw- 
ing apart,  and  it  has  troubled  me  a  great  deal, 
Little  Minx." 

"  I'm  sorry,  Uncle.  But  we  weren't  draw- 
ing apart,  really  and  truly,  Uncle.  Phil  will 
explain  all  that.  I'll  go  and  send  him  to  you 
now.  You  see,  we  can't  think  it's  all  so  until 
he  asks  your  permission  and  you  say  yes." 

"  But  suppose  I  say  no,  Little  Minx  ?  " 

"  You  won't,  Uncle  Butler.  You  never  say 
no  when  I  want  you  to  say  yes." 

"  That's  only  because  I  can't.  I  haven't 
resolution  enough." 

When  alone  with  Phil,  Colonel  Shenstone 
said: 


450   TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  I  want  you  to  oblige  me,  my  boy  —  to  do 
me  the  greatest  favor  in  your  power." 
"  I'll  do  it,  Uncle,  whatever  it  is." 
"  I  want  you  and  my  Little  Minx  to  be  mar- 
ried here  at  Woodlands  and  just  as  soon  as 
possible.  You  see,  Phil,  I  am  not  deceived. 
I  am  much  older  than  my  years,  as  old  as  my 
arteries,  as  Greg  puts  it.  I'm  comfortable 
now,  and  the  paralysis  is  leaving  me.  But 
I'm  not  deceived.  I  shall  have  another  stroke 
and  after  that  the  end.  It  may  come  at  any 
time,  and  before  it  comes  I  want  to  see  you 
and  the  Little  Minx  married,  so  that  I  may 
know  positively  who  are  to  be  master  and  mis- 
tress of  Woodlands  when  I  am  gone.  You 
can't  understand  my  feeling  perhaps,  or  fully 
appreciate  it.  But  ever  since  the  first  Shen- 
stone  established  this  plantation  in  1635,  it 
has  been  the  seat  of  our  family.  There  has 
always  been  a  Shenstone  to  maintain  the  honor 
of  our  name,  to  dispense  a  generous  hospi- 
tality here,  and  to  do  justice,  love  mercy  and 
live  uprightly.  You  are  the  fittest  man  I  know 
to  be  the  next  in  our  line,  and  of  all  the  women 
in  the  world  my  Little  Minx  is  the  one  I  should 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    451 

choose  to  be  the  mother  of  the  future  men  and 
women  of  our  race.  I  cannot  talk  longer.  It 
tires  me  so  to  think,  but  you  understand  what 
I  want.  Go  now,  and  hurry  matters  all  you 
can.  As  you  go  out,  please  tell  Valorie  I  want 
to  see  her." 

When  Valorie  went  to  him,  he  said : 

"I've  talked  till  I'm  tired,  Little  Minx. 
I've  told  Phil  what  I  want  him  and  you  to 
do.  He'll  explain  it  all  to  you.  Promise  me 
you'll  do  it,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  I'll  do  anything  in  the  world  you  ask,  Un- 
cle Butler.  You  know  that,  don't  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  know  it,  Little  Minx.  God  bless 
you." 


XLIX 

IN  aid  of  Colonel  Shenstone's  purpose  to 
have  the  wedding  as  early  as  possible,  Phil 
and  Valorie  suggested  that  it  should  be 
entirely  private,  thus  avoiding  the  necessity  of 
preparation.  But  the  old  Virginian  would  not 
consent  to  that. 

"When  there  is  a  marriage  at  Wood- 
lands," he  said,  "  it  is  an  occasion  for  re- 
joicing. There  must  be  feasting  and  danc- 
ing. And  it  can  be  done.  Let  every  avail- 
able servant  set  to  work  at  once  to  get  things 
ready  and  issue  your  invitations  for  this  day 
week." 

To  these  two,  his  word  was  law,  and  the 
matter  was  arranged  as  he  desired.  Under 
the  curious  rule  of  conduct  that  prevailed  in 
Virginia,  Phil  must  not  pass  a  night  under  the 
same  roof  with  Valorie  after  their  engagement 
was  announced.  So  the  moment  Greg  Taze- 
452 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA   453 

well  received  word  of  the  matter,  he  invited 
Phil  to  take  quarters  in  his  house.  To  his 
friend  he  said : 

"  I  shall  not  be  there  myself  after  to-mor- 
row, old  fellow,  as  I  am  to  sail  for  Europe  on 
Saturday.  But  the  house  will  be  open  and  the 
servants  will  look  after  you." 

"  Then  you  will  not  be  at  the  wedding  ?  I 
had  hoped  you  would  be  my  first  groomsman." 

In  Virginia  at  that  time  the  term  "  first 
groomsman  "  meant  much  the  same  that  "  best 
man  "  does  now. 

"  No,"  answered  Greg.  "  I'm  sorry,  but 
my  ship  sails  on  Saturday." 

Phil  thought  he  understood  and  he  asked 
no  further  questions.  But  Greg  said,  pres- 
ently : 

"  I'll  send  the  bride  something  from  New 
York  as  a  token  of  my  friendship,  which  will 
always  be  the  very  warmest  in  my  heart  for 
both  of  you." 

Mrs.  Albemarle  simply  "  moved  to  Wood- 
lands," as  she  said,  the  moment  the  date  of 
the  wedding  was  fixed.  But  while  busying 
herself  there  both  night  and  day,  in  Valorie's 


454  TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

behalf,  she  was  also  issuing  orders  by  mail 
concerning  the  preparations  that  were  making 
at  her  own  house  for  a  reception  which  she 
was  to  give  to  the  young  couple  a  few  days 
after  the  wedding.  They  were  not  going  to 
make  a  wedding  journey,  for  that  would  leave 
Colonel  Shenstone  in  loneliness,  and  though  he 
insisted,  neither  of  them  would  consent  to  that. 

The  festivities  at  Woodlands  and  in  Rich- 
mond were  at  an  end  before  the  waning  of 
April. 

One  morning  in  June  Colonel  Shenstone  was 
walking  in  the  grounds  with  Phil  supporting 
him  and  Valorie  walking  on  the  other  side, 
when  suddenly  he  reeled  so  that  Phil  had  dif- 
ficulty in  preventing  a  heavy  fall.  Summon- 
ing help  the  young  man  had  the  unconscious 
form  carried  into  the  house.  Consciousness 
never  returned,  and  after  a  few  days  of  coma, 
Colonel  Butler  Shenstone  was  gathered  to  his 
fathers,  after  a  life  of  such  honor  and  up- 
rightness and  gentle  human  sympathy  as  be- 
fitted the  race  from  which  he  was  descended. 
*  *  * 

A  day  or  two  after  the  funeral  the  will  was 


TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA    455 

read.  The  dead  man  had  given  the  historic 
old  plantation  and  everything  else  that  he 
owned  to  Valorie.  He  had  made  the  gift 
precious  to  her  soul  by  the  terms  in  which  the 
bequest  was  set  forth : 

"  She  brought  light  into  my  life  when  it 
was  dark;  warmth,  when  it  was  cold;  love, 
after  years  of  lovelessness.  To  her  I  have 
given  all  that  I  have  to  give  of  a  material 
nature,  and  to  it  all  I  add  the  blessing  of  one 

whose  life  she  made  joyous  in  its  end." 
*  *  * 

Two  days  after  the  will  was  read,  Phil  said 
to  Valorie : 

"  It  is  not  good  for  you  to  be  here  for  a 
time.  You  need  change  of  scene  and  a  chance 
to  rest  and  grow  strong  again.  I  have  been 
telegraphing.  One  of  my  steamboats  is 
loading  at  Pittsburg  for  New  Orleans.  She 
will  take  only  through  freight,  and  I  have  ar- 
ranged that  she  shall  have  no  passengers  but 
you  and  me,  and  your  maid  of  course.  Fortu- 
nately she  is  a  slow  boat  and  will  be  heavily 
laden.  We  will  make  the  journey  —  just  you 
and  I  —  in  leisurely,  restful  fashion." 


456    TWO  GENTLEMEN  OF  VIRGINIA 

"  Can  we  stop  at  Memphis,  where  my  fa- 
ther lies?" 

"  Yes,  Val.  That  and  everything  else  that 
you  desire.  I  have  only  one  purpose  in  life 
now,  and  that  is  to  make  my  wife  the  happiest 
woman  on  earth." 

"  Thank  you,  Phil,  I  am  already  that." 

Such  was  her  only  reply  —  in  words. 

THE  END 


Dorothy  South 

A  Love  Story  of  Virginia  Before  the  War 

By  GEORGE  GARY  EGGLESTON 
Author  of  "A  Carolina  Cavalier" 

Illustrated  by  C  D.  Williams.    J2mo,  dark  red  cloth,  portrait 
cover,  rough  edges,  gilt  top,  $1.50 


•*  I  'HIS  distinguished  author  gives  us  a 
most  fascinating  picture  of  Virginia's 
golden  age,  her  fair  sons  and  daughters,  beau- 
tiful, picturesque  homes,  and  the  luxurious, 
bountiful  life  of  the  old-school  gentleman. 
Dorothy  South  has  been  described  in  these 
characteristic  words  by  Frank  R.  Stockton : 
"  Learned,  lovely ;  musical,  lovely  ;  loving, 
lovely ;  so  goes  Dorothy  through  the  book, 
and  sad  would  be  the  fate  of  poor  Arthur 
Brent,  and  all  of  us,  if  she  could  be  stolen 
out  of  it."  This  is  a  typically  pretty  story, 
clear  and  sweet  and  pure  as  the  Southern 
sky. 


Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


A  Carolina    Cavalier 

A     Romance  of  the  Carolinas 

By  GEORGE  GARY  EGGLESTON 

Bound  in  red  silk  cloth,  illustrated  cover,  gilt  top,  rough  edges. 
Six  drawings  by  C.  D.  Villiams.    Size,  5x7^.    Price  $1.50 


A  strong,  delightful  romance  of  Revolu- 
tionary days,  most  characteristic  of  its 
vigorous  author,  George  Gary  Eggleston. 
The  story  is  founded  on  absolute  happenings 
and  certain  old  papers  of  the  historic  Rut- 
ledges  of  Carolina.  As  a  love  story,  it  is 
sweet  and  true  ;  and  as  a  patriotic  novel  it  is 
grand  and  inspiring.  The  historic  setting, 
and  the  fact  that  it  is  distinctively  and  enthu- 
siastically American,  have  combined  to  win 
instant  success  for  the  book. 

Loubville  Courier  Journal:  "  A  fine  Story  of  ad- 
venture,  teeming  with  life  and  aglow 
with  color." 

Cleveland  Vorld :  "  There  is  action,  plot,  and 
fire.  Love  and  valor  and  loyalty  play  a 
part  that  enhances  one's  respect  for 
human  nature." 

Baltimore  Sun :  "  The  story  is  full  of  move- 
ment. It  is  replete  with  ad  venture.  It  is 
saturated  with  love. 


Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


A    Daughter 
of  the  South 

By     GEORGE    CART    EGGLESTON 

Illustrated  by  E.  Pollak     Decorated  Cover,  $1.50 


E  action  of  the  story  lies  in  the  region  of  the 
lower  Mississippi  river,  from  Cairo  to  New 
Orleans,  and  its  time  is  the  period  near  the 
end  of  the  Civil  War,  after  the  great  river  was  opened 
to  navigation,  but  when  its  banks  and  bayous  were  still 
vexed  with  hostilities,  and  the  greedy  lawlessness  of 
speculators  who  gave  to  their  business  a  good  deal  of 
the  character  of  crime.  It  has  for  its  heroine  a  young 
woman  of  high  breeding  and  high  character,  proud, 
passionate  and  duty  loving,  a  woman  who  thinks  clear- 
ly, feels  strongly  and  acts  in  obedience  to  her  own 
convictions  without  any  shadow  of  fear  or  shrinking 
from  the  consequences  of  right  doing. 

"In  painting  Southern  romances,  George  Cary  Eggleston  is  at 
his  best,  and  his  latest  book,  'A  Daughter  of  the  South,'  has  the 
same  sweet,  pure  flavor  of  love  and  heroism  that  characterized  his 
popular  novel,  'Dorothy  South.'  " — St.  Paul  Dispatch. 

"It  is  a  charming  story,  full  of  delicacy  and  sweetness,  and  the 
picture  the  author  gives  of  the  closing  months  of  the  great  struggle 
is  well  drawn. " — Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle. 

"As  pretty  a  talc  of  Southern  chivalry  and  Northern  devotion  as 
any  one  need  ask  to  read  is  'A  Daughter  of  the  South,'  with  its 
picture  of  wartime  conditions  which  no  Southerner  who  lived 
through  them  will  ever  forget." — Milwaukee  Free  Press. 

Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard   Co. 

BOSTON 


By  HAROLD  MORTON  KRAMER 
HEARTS  AND  THE  CROSS 

Illustrated  by  HAROLD  MATTHEWS  BRETT       $1.50 

THE  story  is  of  a  man  whose  vigorous  personality  enables  him  to  do 
justice   to   himself   and   to  secure  justice  for  himself  under  most 
trying  conditions.     A  mysterious  wanderer,   he  wins  the  better 
element  of  a  somewhat  rough  community  by  his  eloquence  as  the  preacher 
in  a  neglected  parish,  meanwhile  working  in  the  fields  for  his  support. 
Lawlessness,   heroism,    and    noble  self-sacrifice  have  their  part  in  the 
development   of   an  intensely   dramatic   plot,  the  interest  of  which  is 
sustained  until  the  mystery  is  cleared  away,  »nd  a  satisfactory  conclusion 
is  reached  with  exceeding  joy  to  those  who  deserve  it. 

"There  it  no  slackening  of  Interest,  no  chilling  of  sympathy,  until    the 
mystery  surrounding  the  hero  is  cleared  away." — North  American,  Philadelphia. 

"The  book  takes  hold  of  the  reader  and  keeps  up  its  interest  to  the  end." 

— Boston  Transcript. 


QAYLE  LANQFORD 

Being  the  Romance  of  a  Tory  Belle  and  a  Patriot  Captain 

Illustrated  by  H.  C.  EDWARDS     $1.50 

MR.  KRAMER  tells  a  romance  of  the   "times  that  tried    men's 
souls  "  in  a  way  that  will  permit  no  one  to  lay  it  aside  when  once 
he  has  begun  it.     Gayle  Langford,   the  heroine,  is  as  imperious 
and  unfathomable  as  she  is  beautiful,  and  her  patriot   lover  is  possessed 
of  audacity  beyond  the  common  lot  of  man,  else  there  could  be  no  story. 
The  time  is  that  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  with  most  of  the 
events  in  Philadelphia  and  Trenton.      Action  crowds  upon  action  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  this  exceptionally  good  novel. 


"The  action  is  stirring:,  the  dialogue  thrilling,  and  the  dramatic  situations 
hold  the  reader  to  the  last  chapter."  —  Boston   Traveller. 

"From    beginning    to    end    it    Is    filled    with    rapid    actio 
climaxes;  brisk,  incisive  dialogue  and  excellent  character  drawing." 


LOTHROP,   LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO. 

BOSTON 


The   Lions  of  the   Lord 

By   HARRY   LEON  WILSON 

Author  of  "  The  Spenders."  Six  illustrations  by  Rose  Cecil 
O'Neill,  bound  in  dark  green  cloth,  illustrated  cover,  1 2mo. 
#^.50,  postpaid. 

In  his  romance  of  the  old  West,  "  The  Lions  of  the  Lord," 
Mr.  Wilson,  whose  "  The  Spenders  "  is  one  of  the  successes 
of  the  present  year,  shows  an  advance  in  strength  and  grasp 
both  in  art  and  life.  It  is  a  thrilling  tale  of  the  Mormon  set- 
tlement of  Salt  Lake  City,  with  all  its  grotesque  comedy, 
grim  tragedy,  and  import  to  American  civilization.  The 
author's  feeling  for  the  Western  scenery  affords  him  an 
opportunity  for  many  graphic  pen  pictures,  and  he  is  equally 
strong  in  character  and  in  description.  For  the  first  time  in 
a  novel  is  the  tragi-comedy  of  the  Mormon  development 
adequately  set  forth.  Nothing  fresher  or  more  vital  has 
been  produced  by  a  native  novelist. 

The   Spenders 

By   HARRY  LEON   WILSON 
70th  Thousand 

Author  of  "  The  Lions  of  the  Lord."     Red  silk  cloth,  rough 

edges,    picture    cover.      Six  illustrations  by  Rose  Cecil 

O'Neill.     i2mo.    #1.50,  postpaid. 

Mark  Twain  writes  to  the  author :  "  It  cost  me  my  day 
yesterday.  You  owe  me  £400.  But  never  mind,  I  forgive 
you  for  the  book's  sake." 

Louisville  Courier-Journal  says :  "  If  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  the  American  novel  of  a  new  method,  this  is  one.  Abso- 
lutely to  be  enjoyed  is  it  from  the  first  page  to  the  last." 

Harry  Thurston  Peck,  in  the  New  York  American,  says : 

"  The  very  best  two  books  written  by  Americans  during  the 
past  year  have  been  '  The  Spenders,'  by  Harry  Leon  Wilson, 
and  '  The  Pit,'  by  Frank  Norris." 

Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


Clje  ^loss  of  kittle 


By  HARRY  LEON  WILSON      Full  page  and  text  illus- 
trations by  ROSE  CECIL  O'NEILL       ismo  Cloth  $1.50 

"""FHE  BOSS,"  whose  title  has  been  bestowed 
^  partly  in  jest,  is  the  editor  of  a  weekly  paper 
of  a  typical  village  in  the  Middle  West.  The  real 
hero  of  the  book  is  his  staunch  friend,  though  his 
rival  in  love.  The  story  is  told  by  the  friend,  who 
left  the  village  at  the  call  of  the  Civil  War,  returning 
as  Major  to  resume  his  law  practice  and  to  figure  in 
a  delightfully  told  romance.  The  humor  is  every- 
where present  and  of  a  very  high  order. 

SOME     PRESS      OPINIONS 

"  'The  Boss  of  Little  Arcady'  is  one  to  be  enjoyed  in 
every  page  for  its  genuine  humor,  its  sly  satire  without  a 
touch  of  malice,  and  the  story  of  love  and  friendship  which 
runs  through  it  and  ends  happily." — Cleveland  Plain  Dealer. 
"  lThe  Boss  of  Little  Arcady'  is  clever,  with  a  cleverness 
that  is  not  forced,  and  with  a  crispness  that  seems  to  belong 
toit  and  which  has  the  flavor  of  spontaneity." 

— Brooklyn  Eagle, 

"It  is  a  story  to  be  read  a  second  time;  if  not  wholly,  then 
in  part.  The  result  for  the  reader  is  one  of  the  best  things 
that  life  affords — a  book  that  delights,  quickens  the  sympa- 
thies and  revivifies  the  quiescent  good  in  one's  nature."  — 
Minneapolis  Journal. 

"Not  a  dull  line  in  it  from  coyer  to  cover." — The  Advance, 
Chicago. 

"The  simpler  and  sweeter  things  of  life  hold  sway  in  Little 
Arcady  and  the  Boss  is  lovably  original." — Chicago 
Evening  Post. 

"Reading  this  story  is  like  living  among  people  whom  we 
have  known  at  some  time  or  other,  and  the  charm  of  the 
book  is  in  its  character  descriptions.  It  is  one  of  the  best 
novels  of  the  year." — Philadelphia  Inquirer. 

Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.  &  Boston 


Cftc  Cittlc  Green  Door 

By    MART    E.    STONE    BASSETT 

Eight   illustrations    by  Louise    Clarke    and    twenty-five  decorative 
half-title  pages   by  Ethel  Pearce   Clements 

izmo  Cloth  $1.50 

A  charming  romance  of  the  time  of 
Louis  XIII.  The  door  which 
gives  the  title  to  the  book  leads  to  a 
beautiful  retired  garden  belonging  to  the 
King.  In  this  garden  is  developed  one  of 
the  sweetest  and  tenderest  romances  ever 
told.  The  tone  of  the  book  is  singularly 
pure  and  elevated,  although  its  power  is 
intense. 


"This  is  a  tale  of  limpid  purity  and  sweetness,  which,  although 
its  action  is  developed  amid  the  intrigues  and  deceptions  of  a  corrupt 
French  court,  remains  fine  and  delicate  to  the  end.  There  is 
power  as  well  as  poetry  in  the  little  romance,  so  delicate  in  con- 
ception."—  Chicago  Daily  News. 

"Tender,  sweet,  passionate,  pure;  a  lily  from  the  garden  of 
loves." — Baltimore  Herald. 

"The  story  is  exquisitely  pure  and  tender,  possessing  a  finished 
daintiness  that  will  charm  all  clean-minded  persons." — Louisville 
Courier-Journal. 

"This  book  carries  with  it  all  the  exhilaration  of  a  beautiful 
nature,  of  flowers,  birds,  and  living  things,  and  the  beauty  of  a 
winsome  personality  of  a  pure,  beautiful  girl.  It  is  a  romance  en- 
tirely of  the  fancy,  but  a  refreshing  one." — Chicago  Tribune. 

"The  little  romance  is  charmingly  wrought,  and  will  be  sure  to 
find  its  way  to  the  heart  of  the  reader." — Boston  Transcript. 

Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co. 

BOSTON 


Judith's   Garden 

By    MARY    E.   STONE    BASSETT 

With  illustrations  in  color  by  George  Wright.  Text  printed 
in  two  colors  throughout,  with  special  ornamentation. 
8vo,  light  green  silk  cloth,  rough  edges,  gilt  top,  $1.50 


A  N  exquisite,  delicious,  charming  book, 
•^^  as  fresh  as  new-mown  hay,  as  fragrant 
as  the  odor  from  the  garden  of  the  gods. 
It  is  the  story  of  a  garden,  a  woman,  and  a 
man.  The  woman  is  delicate  and  refined, 
witty,  and  interesting;  the  man  is  Irish, 
funny,  original,  happy,  —  a  delicious  and 
perfect  foil  to  the  woman.  His  brogue  is 
stunning,  and  his  wit  infectious  and  fetching. 
The  garden  is  quite  all  right.  There  is  move- 
ment in  the  book ;  life  is  abundant,  and  it 
attracts.  It  will  catch  the  interest  of  every 
lover  of  flowers,  —  and  their  name  is  legion, 
—  and  will  delight  and  comfort  every  reader. 


Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


MISS    BILLY 

A      NEIGHBORHOOD      STORY 

By   EDITH    K.    STOKELY   and    MARIAN    K.    KURD 

Illustrated  by  CHARLES   COPELAND 

lamo   Cloth    1.50 

u\/fISS  BILLY"  deserves  more  than  passing 
notice  in  these  days  of  civic  improvement. 
It  is  a  story  of  what  an  irrepressible  young  woman 
accomplished  in  the  neighborhood  into  which  her 
family  felt  obliged  to  move  for  financial  reasons. 
The  street  was  almost  as  unpromising  as  the  celebrated 
"  Cabbage  Patch."  and  its  characters  equally  inter- 
esting and  original.  The  happy  common-sense  of 
Miss  Billy  and  the  quaint  sayings  and  doings  of 
her  new  neighbors  form  a  capital  story. 


"The  story  abounds  in  humor  with  a  hint  of  tears  and  an  over- 

ectious  gayety." 
•Boston  Herald. 


flowing  kindness  of  heart  bubbling  over  in  infectious  gayety." 

on  Her i 


"The   book  is  sure   to   have   an  immense  number  of  readers." 

—  St.  Louis  Star. 

"The  plan  of  the  tale  is  original,  the  conversation  very  bright  and 

witty,    the    style   smooth,  and   the  characters  true  to  life." 

—  Boston   Transcript. 

"It  is  a  human  interest  story  which  appeals  to  the  heart,  and  at 
one  juncture  to  the  eyes  of  the  sympathetic  readers." 

— Pittsburg  Chronicle   Telegraph. 

"  'Miss  Billy'  is  a  charmingly  bright,  clever  little  story,  full  of 
spontaneous  humor  and  frankly  inspirational." 

— Chicago  Daily  News. 

"This  is  an  ideal  story."  —  N.    Y.   Times. 

Cotbrop,  Ece  $  Sfttpard  Co.  *  «  Boston 


The   Potter   and  the  Clay 

A  Romance  of  To-day 

By  MAUD  HOWARD  PETERSON.  Bound  In  blue  cloth, 
decorative  cover,  rough  edges,  gilt  top.  Four  drawings  by 
Charlotte  Harding.  Size,  5x7^.  Price  $1.50 


ONE  of  the  strongest  and  most  forceful  of  re- 
cent novels,  now  attracting  marked  attention, 
and  already  one  of  the  most  successful  books  of 
the  present  year.  The  characters  are  unique, 
the  plot  is  puzzling,  and  the  action  is  remarkably 
vivid.  Readers  and  critics  alike  pronounce  it  a 
romance  of  rare  strength  and  beauty.  The  scenes 
are  laid  in  America,  Scotland,  and  India ;  and  one 
of  the  most  thrilling  and  pathetic  chapters  in  re- 
cent fiction  is  found  in  Trevelyan's  heroic  self- 
sacrifice  during  the  heart-rending  epidemic  of 
cholera  in  the  latter  country.  The  story  through- 
out is  one  of  great  strength. 

Margaret  E.  Sangster:  "From  the  opening 
chapter,  which  tugs  at  the  heart,  to  the  close, 
when  we  read  through  tears,  the  charm  of  the 
book  never  flags.  It  is  not  for  one  season,  but 
of  abiding  human  interest." 

Minot  J.  Savage :  "  I  predict  for  the  book  a  very 
large  sale,  and  for  the  authoress  brilliant  work 
in  the  future." 

Boston  Journal:  "  One  of  the  most  remarkable  books 
of  the  year.  Brilliant,  but  better  than  that, 
tender." 


Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


Cliveden 


By  KENYON  WEST.    J2mo.  Brown  cloth,  rough  edges. 
Price,  $1.50. 


"  /^'LIVEDEN  "  is  an  historical  romance  by  Kenyon 
^"•^  West,  favorably  known  as  the  author  of  sev- 
eral books  of  fiction  and  criticism.  The  story  — 
which  is  quick  in  action,  picturesque  in  scene,  and 
dramatic  in  situation  —  centres  in  the  famous  Chew 
House  in  Germantown,  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  at  the  time  when  the  battles  of  Brandywine 
and  Germantown  were  being  fought,  and  the  British 
General  Howe  was  threatening  the  native  forces. 
Both  sides  of  the  struggle  are  represented,  the 
American  patriots  and  the  British  redcoats,  and  a 
charming  love-story  is  developed,  in  which  the 
principals  are  a  well-born  American  beauty  and  a 
British  officer  with  a  noble  character.  The  Chew 
residence  is  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  the  attempts 
of  a  British  spy  to  wreck  the  fortunes  of  General 
Washington,  who  is  only  a  few  miles  off,  make 
exciting  reading.  The  volume  is  given  an  appro- 
priate patriotic  dress. 

Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


The  Judges'  Cave 

A  Romance  of  the  New  Haven 

Colony  in  the  days  of  the 

Regicides 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY,  author  of  "A  Little 
Maid  of  Concord-town,"  "Five  Little  Peppers,"  etc. 
J2mo,  doth,  illustrated,  $1.50 


are  few  more  fascinating  phases  of 
colonial  history  than  that  which  tells  the  wan- 
derings and  adventures  of  the  two  judges  who,  because 
they  sat  in  judgment  over  that  royal  criminal,  Charles 
the  First  of  England,  were  hunted  out  of  England  in- 
to hiding  in  New  England  and  there  remained,  a 
mystery  and  fugitives,  in  their  celebrated  cave  in  New 
Haven  Colony.  Margaret  Sidney  has  made  her  care- 
ful and  exhaustive  research  into  their  story  a  labor  of 
love  and  has,  in  this  book,  woven  about  them  a 
romance  of  rare  power  and  great  beauty.  Marcia, 
the  heroine,  is  a  strong  and  delightful  character,  and 
the  book  will  easily  take  high  rank  among  the  most 
effective  and  absorbing  stories  based  upon  a  dramatic 
phase  of  American  history. 


\\\E-UNIVER%        .vlOSANGEtfr. 


I 

$  I 


a  £ 


clOSANCElfj> 

5  lOr-1 


S 


O        J. 


pj 
^DNV-SOl 


1 1 


'J  S 
^    • 


$? 


^UIBRARY-0^      ^UIBRARY-Oc, 

r£     ! 


^lOS-AI«Hflr&         ^OF-CAIIF(% 

|/-V-t     ffLCVfc 

g1 


'SOP 


